A group of open-water lifeguards from Northumberland are set to swim the length of Lake Windermere in aid of Tynedale Hospice in Hexham. The team from Sweethope Lough, which consists of Jackie Boylan, Fenwick Ridley, Julia Roberts, Paul Snaith, and Yvonne Probert, will embark on the endurance swim on Saturday August 17, with the aim of raising £10,000 for the charity throughout the year. Jackie Boylan who owns Transcend Hair and Beauty in Hexham, has explained how she took up open water swimming, saying: "After COVID, I was eager to get back to swimming, but I didn’t want to return to a pool.
My nephew, Fenwick Ridley had been trying to get me involved in open-water swimming for years, and I finally said yes. "Once I started, I decided to qualify as a lifeguard and join the team here. It’s been an incredible journey.
" Read more: How Northern Lights lit up the North East skies with an amazing display of colours Keep up to date with all the latest breaking news and top stories from the North East with our free newsletter Yvonne Probert, who also has a unique connection to the sport, added: "My day job with Tell Us North, which manages Healthwatch Newcastle and Healthwatch Gateshead , is entirely different from this, as it’s office-based and focused on health and social care, so being out here, swimming in open water, is a complete change of pace for me. It’s a wonderful balance. "Staying healthy is important to me—I swim and run competitively.
This takes up a lot of .