Ex-county swimmer Brenda Carter is set to swim the equivalent of the English Channel in a St Albans school to raise money for Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Prostate Cancer UK.

Along with the help of five of her close friends and family members, they will be swimming the 21.5 miles of the channel as ‘Team Carter’.

Ms Carter started up her own Swim School twelve years ago after battling breast cancer herself.

As a cancer survivor, she realised that life is just too short not to fulfil your passion and so after a long wait, Brenda’s Swim School was born.

Following the success of her school, Ms Carter joined forces with friend and fellow swimming instructor Dave Johnson to create ‘Make a Splash’.

The business has grown over the years to include Ms Carter's children; Stuart and Nikki Carter as teachers and has become equally as successful as Brenda’s Swim School.

Last year, co-founder Mr Johnson was diagnosed with prostate cancer and had to take a break from teaching to undergo treatment.

His diagnosis has made it all the more important that Team Carter to, as a school and a family, make a contribution to the work of both charities in their research against cancer.

The event will be held on April 5 at Marlborough School, in Watling Street, which has kindly loaned the team the use of its swimming pool.

Brenda, Nikki and Stuart, Brenda’s sister Pam, Nikki’s boyfriend Ryan and friend of the family, Rosie, will swim the mammoth 21.5 miles as a team.

They hope that by undertaking such a feat, they will raise more for the chosen charities.

The school are reaching out to those who are able to donate and to anyone who wishes to partake in their own swimming challenge on the day; be it as a group or individually.

If you would like to complete your own challenge please contact Ms Carter on 01923 680732
To donate to Breakthrough Breast cancer please visit http://www.justgiving.com/team-carter-swim

To donate to Prostate cancer UK please visit http://www.justgiving.com/team-carter-swim-2