In July this year Wirral Personal Trainer, Lee Brogan, undertook the gruelling and exhausting challenge of swimming the English channel — raising over £9,000 for charity in the process and raising awareness of mental health.
To donate to Wirral Mind on Lee’s Just Giving page CLICK HERE!
The father of two decided to swim the Channel back in 2018 and had been training ever since, even navigating training during a global pandemic when swimming pools closed in March. But for Lee, training to swim the channel was for his mental health, admitting that he had been suffering from suicidal thoughts and needed a goal to focus on.
He told us: “Initially I was suffering from depression. I knew it was a going to be an 18-month challenge because you need to get a pilot boat booked, so there is a 2 year wait. Once I signed up for the challenge, I felt like I had a goal and a purpose. I don’t normally fail at something and I most often achieve what I want to achieve. I don’t have much of an interest in swimming, but I know sea swimming is such a difficult challenge — it’s known as the Everest of swimming.”
To donate to Wirral Mind on Lee’s Just Giving page CLICK HERE!
Lee began working with a swim coach, focusing on drills in the pools and working on technique before starting open water training at Christmas. It was at this point of time that Lee felt comfortable enough to talk openly about his mental health struggles with his friends and family. In 2016, The Mental Health Foundation reported that 35% of men waited more than 2 years or have never disclosed a mental health problem to a friend or family member.
To donate to Wirral Mind on Lee’s Just Giving page CLICK HERE!
As a result of the pandemic, Lee’s training took a dip whilst the pools were shut and continued to train unaware of when or if his swim would go ahead. He told us: “I didn’t have access to a pool, but I think the biggest factor was I wasn’t mentally ready for the swim, and then I got the first opening to swim.”
Lee was then given the first slot to swim the channel once lockdown restrictions had been lifted with only seven days’ notice. On Sunday 12th July, Lee was the first swimmer of the day to set off from Dover, but after five hours of swimming, Lee’s crew were forced to pull him out the water after he started to show signs of hyperthermia.
To donate to Wirral Mind on Lee’s Just Giving page CLICK HERE!
It is estimated that only 40% of swimmers who leave Dover make it to Calais. Lee told us: “I’ve got no memory of the last two hours of the swim, it took four people to get me out of the water, I was still hypothermic, but I knew the crew had made the right call.”
Lee continued: “If I had stayed in the water it would have been detrimental to my health, I wasn’t mentally prepared for the 16-17 hours or whatever it took to get to the other side, so it was a double blow. I fully expected to complete it, I am the sort of person who hates to fail, it was really disappointing.”
To donate to Wirral Mind on Lee’s Just Giving page CLICK HERE!
Despite Lee not reaching Calais he managed to raise £9000 for Wirral Mind in seven days which he described as ‘really humbling to pull in so much support so quickly.’ He is now using the next two years to prepare for his next attempt in 2022, when hopefully his training will not be interrupted by a pandemic.
To donate to Wirral Mind on Lee’s Just Giving page CLICK HERE!
