David answers a few questions below about his 18km swim challenge. 

CLEFT:  Do you swim together regularly? 

David:  Not that often - Andrew lives in Kendal and I live in Newcastle. We try and do a swimming event every year around summer time so we have a focus. It’s often booked on New Year’s Day as part of a New Years’ Resolution. The events have become progressively longer over the years. 

CLEFT:  Are you both regular, outdoor swimmers? 

David:  We were both indoor swimmers originally and still mainly train in the pool. However, we both love open water swimming and try and do at least one open water swim event a year.

CLEFT:  What made you both decide on this challenge?

David:  We have always wanted to swim the length of Lake Windermere as it is England’s longest lake at 10.5 miles / 18 km. 

CLEFT:  Have you ever swum this sort of distance before?

David:  The most we have swum before up until recently was 10km. We recently swam the length of Lake Ullswater (just under 12km) as preparation for swimming Windermere. The water temperature that day was 10C so we were getting cold towards the end and finding it a little challenging to swim. The water temperature in Windermere in mid-July should be a bit warmer. 

CLEFT:  Did you grow up swimming together?

David:  We used to swim for Southwell Swimming Club in Nottinghamshire when we were growing up. However, we were in different squads / teams due to our age difference.

CLEFT:  What do your children think about you doing this challenge? 

David:  They haven’t really said much about it although my daughter, Chloe, has said something along the lines of “that’s quite a long way Daddy...”  

To DONATE to David and Andrew's fundraising page, click here.

To listen to David's podcast on UK cleft provision, click here