SEVENTY swimmers are set to make the crossing between Hurst Castle and Colwell in a bid to raise £25,000 for charity this weekend.
The second annual Wild West Solent Swim is scheduled for Sunday, 15 July, with money raised to be donated to West Wight Sports Centre, which organises the event, and 19 other charities.
Peter Butchers, the oldest swimmer at 77, has chosen to support the charity the Maritime Volunteer Service in addition to the sports centre. "I’ve not done anything like this before but I’ve always enjoyed swimming and I can manage 100 lengths of the pool in an hour and a half. "Besides, I’m too old to be nervous," he said.
Swimmers are due to start at Hurst Castle at 7.40am supported by a team of 46 kayakers, a small fleet of safety and support boats and two of Freshwater's lifeboats.
The fastest swimmers are expected to reach Colwell at around 8.15am and sports centre manager Clare Griffin said: "It's set to be a spectacular sight and emotions will be running high when the swimmers come ashore."