Teen takes on World Ice Swimming Championships

Frankie Jackson, 14, is being coached by Fenwick Ridley

A schoolgirl is preparing to throw herself into icy depths as the youngest ever member of Great Britain's ice swimming team.

Frankie Jackson, from Sunderland, has been selected as one of 49 swimmers to travel to Molveno, Italy, this weekend and represent their country in the world championships.

Frankie, who turned 14 last month, has been training at one of England's coldest open water venues, Sweethope Lough in Northumberland.

Faced with the prospect of plunging into icy water, she said: "I just sort of get on with it really."

She said: "It's before I get in that I'm more scared, then once you actually get in it's a relief it's not as cold as you thought it was going to be.

"But your face, hands and feet really feel it. I just don't like it if it's windy and there are waves."

Frankie swam through an ice channel for the first time on Thursday

Frankie is being coached by fellow GB ice team member Fenwick Ridley.

On Thursday, both swimmers faced a serious test as they took the plunge at Sweethope after the coldest night of the season.

Temperatures overnight had dipped to about -10C (14F), leaving the water temperature at just 1C (33.8F) in the morning.

It was the first time Frankie had experienced swimming through an ice channel, a route previously hacked out by Mr Ridley with an axe.

'Resilience and strength'

Frankie has been swimming for the City of Sunderland team and competing since she was six.

Mr Ridley spotted her talent when she first took part in open water swimming.

"Her swim rate and speed was never affected by the water, even as it got colder," he said.

"She didn't stutter on the way in and so I saw a unique percentage of resilience and strength.

"I thought I would keep an eye on this one as it's very unusual for someone so young."

Competitors at the weekend will swim various distances in open water at temperatures below 5C (23F).

Frankie will not be allowed to submerge for more than seven minutes and will hope to clock up the fastest time in that window.

Frankie will compete in the junior section

At the world championships, she is taking on three distances: 50m breaststroke, 50m butterfly and 100m freestyle.

She will be competing in the junior section for entrants aged between 14 and 17.

"She does have a limit and we do have to be careful not to allow her to go too far," Mr Ridley said.

"Younger bodies do get colder quicker but she can still regulate and be able to sustain.

"The more she trains, she's gaining a very special superpower and that's brown fat cells, our thermal regulator.

"She has a unique ability to transform at this age."