TWO FORMER Cowes High School pupils battled their way through a two-mile swim in the Solent in memory of a family member and to raise money for charity.
Kiri Colleypriest and Heather Martin, both 27, and originally from the Island now live in Winchester and Norwich respectively.
They swam the two miles across the Solent in one hour and 10 minutes in difficult conditions due to spring tides, strong winds and steep chop in the middle to swim through. They both wore specially designed swimming wetsuits, but no fins or any swimming aids. They were accompanied by a rescue boat loaned from Gurnard Sailing Club.
The pair swam from Gurnard to Lepe Beach in memory of Kiri’s father, Andy Colleypriest, who passed away last year after a long battle with leukaemia. They raised money for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research – and have so far reached around £1,770, with donations continuing to flow in via our Just Giving website: www.justgiving.com/kiriandheather-swimthesolent
Kiri’s father battled leukaemia in France, where he lived with his wife, Sarah. He spent many years on the Island bringing up Kiri and her brother Daniel, and many of his friends still live here.
