Swimming to the end of the Earth to protect Antarctica
Jane Hardy
A Northumbrian marine conservation volunteer will be swimming in Antarctica to campaign for greater protection of its precious seas and marine species.
Jane Hardy from Howick only learned to swim 12 years ago. She has been undertaking intensive training to prepare for the epic Antarctica 2020 event since November.
“I’m not the best swimmer in the world, but I do have determination and stamina” she said, adding “I knew this would be a lifetime experience and I simply had to go for it,”
Jane’s training regime has been to do a cold water sea swim virtually every day since the start of November, gradually building up distances and improving times while enduring water temperatures as low as 4 degrees Celsius without a wet or drysuit. This is to help her prepare for swimming in the almost freezing sea she will face in Antarctica.
“The trip stands for everything I believe in.” Jane said. “It’s an opportunity to highlight what we are doing to the planet and I’d like to educate and ultimately help protect the area.
“I love everything to do with the ocean, I clear my local beach of litter every day when I walk the dog. I volunteer for British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), rescuing marine mammals along this stretch of coast, and I’ve seen seals entangled and suffering horrific injuries due to pollution, so it only makes sense that I fundraise for BDMLR alongside this series of swims too.”
Visit Jane’s Justgiving page at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jane-hardy13?utm_id=25.
To find out more about the campaign itself visit www.antarctica2020swim.com.
