Henley Mermaids taking on Manhattan island

A swimmer from Henley on Thames is flying out to New York to swim around Manhattan.

Seasoned swimmer Laura Reineke from group Henley Mermaids is taking on the gruelling 48.5 km swim this Friday (June 21st).

She's raising money for Wildfish, the UK's only charity protecting wild fish and their waters.

Laura tells us rivers and freshwater species are disappearing at five times the rate of those on land:

"The more I know, the worse it gets. It's vital we educate people with facts and encourage behaviour change with water usage and chemical usage."

"There's a massive sturgeon that lives in the Hudson river. We might see that. I think it'll be cleaner than swimming in the Thames."

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