Co Down woman raises almost £2,000 ahead of open water swim
Holly Monson, who's a member of a Donaghadee based swimming group, Chunky Dunkers, is swimming the North Channel later this month.
A County Down woman has raised almost £2,000 for charity, by taking on one of the hardest open water swimming challenges.
Holly Monson is swimming the North Channel later this month.
The North Channel swim is a challenging open-water swimming route across the North Channel of the Irish Sea, between Northern Ireland and Scotland.
She's raising funds for The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group and The Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust.
The 30-year-old is a member of a Donaghadee based swimming group, Chunky Dunkers.
She told us the group introduced her to the world of open water swimming seven years ago: "It changed my life, in the sense that it gave me perspective for the natural world. There is a whole world of hiking and swimming and going up mountains."
Holly told us just how tricky the swim can be, and how excited she is for the challenge: "You're dealing with the ocean. She's going to give you the day that you're meant to have. You can maybe want a calm swim, and you'll get the choppiest swim of your life. Nothing is going to be like what it is on the day."
"It definitely is a very technical swim. There's a lot of hurdles that are put in the way... there is jelly fish, there's marine life, there's the cold temperatures. It's considered one of the hardest open water swims you can do."
She's encouraging everyone to get into the water and give open water swimming ago, reiterating how lucky we are in Northern Ireland to have the access to water: "I'm a totally different person that I was seven years ago."