Channel swim honours memory of late friend

The four men completed their relay swim across the English Channel in just under 16 hours

"Exhausting and emotional" is how one man has described taking part in a 16-hour swim relay across the English Channel.

Mark Baber, from Rothwell in Leeds, undertook the challenge along with three friends at the end of July in honour of his friend Mick Atkinson.

Mr Atkinson, a former dog handler with North Yorkshire Police, died by suicide in 2018 and since his death, dozens of cyclists have taken part in the Tour de Aky, a cycle ride around Yorkshire in his memory.

Set up by Mr Atkinson's friend Pierre Olesqui, the event has raised more than £100,000 for charities.

"We wanted to keep that legacy going, do something different, change the challenge up and do something that was completely, pardon the pun, out of our depths," Mr Baber said.

The 41-year-old was joined in the challenge by Dave Young, 40, from York, 50-year-old Nathan Pawlowski, from Kendall, and Kevin Lacks-Kelly, 45, from Harrogate.

The challenge aimed to raise funds for two charities - the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Andy's Man Club.

Mr Baber said they just wanted to raise money by "showing people what can be done through mental strength".

"You can do something incredible with just mental strength and teamwork and that is exactly what we did."

Each of the four men had to swim for an hour, non-stop, and then rest for three hours while the other men took their turns

Channel swims are administered and observed by the Channel Swimming Association and the rules are strict, Mr Baber said.

The order of swimimng and the changeover times cannot be altered during the challenge.

Mr Baber said he had been excited for his first swim but it had been a "very long hour".

"I was really looking forward to getting in, the seas were quite rough so the boat was really going, the problem was the seasickness hits in that first swim and you've got to let nature to take its course."

He said he had assumed that he would be able to rest for three hours before getting back into the sea but that was not the case.

"You had to get back on the boat, but then with that recovery from the seasickness you were drained.

"You can't do the normal things, you can't take on fluids because they come back up, you can't take on food and anything solid because there's a danger that's going to come back up.

"The recovery was so difficult and I was green for a good two hours."

Mark Baber said the camaraderie of the group helped as night drew in and they realised what a "lonely place" the sea could be

Mr Baber said for him the second hour's swim was "much harder".

"The weather had gone quite overcast, the water looked black, I was cold and when I jumped in it was like jumping into an ice bath.

"Once I got going it was alright and then the jellyfish hit. Nobody can prepare you for the jellyfish. It was horrifying."

As the men moved further towards France, Mark said he realised looking back at Dover how far they had come but how far they still had to go.

"You feel very lonely and very isolated," he said.

However, they persevered with the support of the boat's captain, Peter Reed and team manager Victoria Baber, along with an official observer from the Channel Swimming Association.

Just 15 hours and 59 minutes after leaving the UK they reached France.

"We were very tired by the end of it," he said.

"Physically it is tiring, emotionally it is just exhausting.

"By the time you get to that beach in France it's a double-edged sword, you are happy to be there but you can't wait to get back as well."

Mark Baber (second from right) said he did not think he could top the experience with his three friends

He said the men he had done the challenge with had all been "incredible" even in the worst moments when the small boat felt like "a pressure cooker" and he did not want to get back into the sea.

"I don't think I could have a better time with them again," he said.

Recalling Mick Atkinson in whose name they had taken on the challenge, Mr Baber said: "I knew him all my life until he lost that battle with mental health.

"He was the biggest, happiest guy in the room. It was such a shock to find out what we saw was not what Mick was feeling."

He said the annual bike ride and the challenges like the one he and his friends had undertaken along with the work being done by charities like Andy's Man Club were helping people see it was "good to talk".

"I think these days with the mental health battles people are going through, people are a lot better at talking about and it is helping."

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