A Hornchurch mother-of-two has made a splash in a relay swim across the English Channel, helping to raise thousands of pounds for a drowning prevention charity.
Swimming has been a big part of Hayley Ziepe’s life since she was young. Having swum for the local Killerwhales Swim Club as a child, Hayley went on to lifeguard in Havering for many years while studying for her A Levels and later her degree.
It was not long after her nan passed before Christmas last year that Hayley, 41, first heard about a charity called SwimTayka, which teaches water safety to disadvantaged communities around the world.
Hayley told this paper she felt her nan was “pushing the opportunity my way", and committed to join a six-person relay team tackling the English Channel for charity.
The commitment involved taking a career break from being a creative director in order to focus on her training.
The swim itself, after issues with the conditions pushed back an initial schedule, was finally completed from August 3 to August 4, taking a total of 14 hours and 40 minutes.
The relay team - who took turns swimming on rotation for the distance - set out from Samphire Hoe beach in Dover at 3.01pm and arrived at Wissant beach in France at 5.41am, UK-time.
“It was a tough swim because we were the only relay team attempting those conditions,” said Hayley.
She added that visibility was particularly poor, and she swam as close to the boat as she could during the night to maintain direction.
Hayley said she felt “proud” of the team for raising more than £12,000 in total for SwimTayka.
“It’s going to be amazing for the charity, and the charity was so grateful,” she said.
“I just feel really proud that I have been able to do that.”
Hayley herself exceeded the £1,500 requested as a minimum by SwimTayka, and is still accepting donations.
She hopes her swim inspires her two younger children, Amelia (10) and Olivia (5).
And while she is unsure about attempting the Channel solo, she said she is already thinking about future swims she can do to continue supporting the charity's work.
To donate, visit Hayley’s JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Hayley-Ziepe
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