Alnwick mum 'overwhelmed' after English Channel charity swim

Gill Castle completed her highly anticipated 21-mile Channel swim on Wednesday, after bad weather forced the postponement of her previous scheduled attempt last month.

With the assistance of the Channel Swim Association, Gill completed the difficult swim across the world’s busiest shipping route in a time of 13 hours 53 minutes and landed at Tardinghen at 11.35am.

She said: “I am completely overwhelmed, not only by finishing the Channel with my stoma intact, but by all the support and congratulations I’ve received.”

In 2022, Gill set up her own charity called Chameleon Buddies, which supports women in Northumberland and Kenya who have struggled with adapting to life after a difficult childbirth or stoma surgery.

The inspiration to start her own charity came from her own experience of a difficult childbirth in 2011, which left Gill with a permanent stoma (colostomy) as a result of a missed fourth degree tear, recto-vaginal fistula and perineal abscess.

She was diagnosed with PTSD, post-natal depression, severe anxiety, hyper vigilance and was medically retired from her job as a police officer in 2013.

Gill made the decision three years ago to do the Channel challenge.

She trained extensively, including plenty of training in the North Sea, and has raised over £18,000, to send stoma nurses to Kenya. She has expressed her gratitude on social media to everyone who has shown their support.

You can continue to support and donate to Gill’s JustGiving page.