1610 backs Bradworthy teacher aiming to make history

Sadie Davies has become a familiar sight to staff and swimmers at 1610 Torridge Pool in recent months as she prepares to make history by becoming the first woman to swim from Hartland Point to Lundy Island off the North Devon coast.

Sadie a teacher at Bradworthy Primary Academy near Holsworthy is aiming to swim the 12- mile distance between Hartland Point and Lundy Island at the end of the summer. During the preceding months she has been training four times a week at 1610 Torridge Pool covering an average distance of between 20k and 25k a week.

Sadie a member of Surfers Against Sewage is aiming to raise money and awareness for the organisation as well as the charities The Wave Project and Families in Grief.

Sadie who was born in North Devon and has spent most of her adult life in the area knows the coast very well as she is a member of the Bideford Amateur Rowing Club (Reds), and also swims as part of her training programme in the sea at Westward Ho!

She is a passionate environmental campaigner and hopes her swim will highlight the need to keep local beaches and sea free of plastic and pollution. But her decision to take on the challenge to swim to Lundy was nurtured by a love for the area from her Dad; “My father was a member of the Appledore Sub Aqua Club and he taught me a love of the sea and in particular a love for Lundy which is a very special place. Although it is a beautiful and inspiring environment it is also a daunting challenge to overcome. The powerful tides mean that you are pushed further out so you have to compensate by swimming in a loop around them. So the swim in reality is more like 16 to 18miles rather than 12 so I am putting in a lot of strength training to cope with it”.

During the winter months Sadie has been training at Torridge Pool. Sonia Cox who runs adult squad swim sessions and helps swimmers prepare for Triathlons got me swimming again a few years back and that reignited my love of swimming. Sadie’s coach Simon De Burgh who is also based in Bideford from TriForce Endurance has prepared a training plan for her to complete the challenge.

Now the weather is warmer Sadie has switched to training sessions in the sea and she hopes she will complete the swim to Lundy at the end of August or at the beginning of September when there may be a 10- day weather window when conditions will be safe for her to attempt the challenge; “All being well, the sea will be calm and the water temperature should be around 15 degrees so it won’t be too cold to induce cramp. I think the greatest challenge of all will be when I am about three quarters of the way across and I can see Lundy ahead of me, but it is still out of reach. I will just have to keep my head and keep on going and stay positive. I will concentrate on my stroke as I have been trained to do. I hope my swim will inspire others to love and care for the amazing beautiful and rugged coastline that we have here and protect it from pollution so future generations can enjoy it.”

To support Sadie’s swim please visit; https://www.facebook.com/SadieSwimsLundy/

For more information about support for endurance swimming training please contact us on 03300 58 1610.