Pals Gemma Charnley and Kerrie Angel made a splash fundraising for spinal cord injury charity Aspire.

They raised £750 by swimming 22 miles the width of the English Channel by completing 1,908 lengths of Blackwater Leisure Centre's pool in Maldon. It took a month to reach the distance.

Gemma, 24, of Temple Way, Heybridge, persuaded Kerrie, 19, of West Avenue, Maylandsea, to take part in the marathon swim after completing it in 2003.

"Aspire is a charity you don't hear about very often so I thought it would be a good challenge," said Gemma.

Thousands of swimmers across the country raised £500,000 for the appeal.

Published Thursday, February 24, 2005

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