A JUNIOR doctor has taken part in a challenge to swim the English Channel and helped to raise almost £25,000 for charity.

Dervla Ireland, a junior doctor at Dorset County Hospital working with a respiratory team, swam for a charity which helps people with spinal cord injuries.

Aspire is a national charity that provides practical help to people who have been paralysed by Spinal Cord Injury.

Dorset Echo: Dervla Ireland swimming the channel throughout the night. Picture: Dervla Ireland Dervla Ireland swimming the channel throughout the night. Picture: Dervla Ireland

Dervla said she took part in the swim as part of relay team of six people, put together by Aspire, from all across the country who took turns to swim in one hour shifts across approximately 55km of water.

The team swam through out the night, starting at 10.30pm and took a total of 13 hours and 13 minutes to complete the gruelling challenge.

Dorset Echo: The relay team who swam teh English channel with Dervla ireland. Picture: Dervla Ireland The relay team who swam teh English channel with Dervla ireland. Picture: Dervla Ireland

Dervla: "I grew up here so have always been keen to tackle the channel and it certainly has been a dream come true!"

The young doctor, who grew up around Weymouth, had been training since last summer to prepare for the mammoth swim and had to improvise when she was working in central London on Covid wards with no access to any outdoor water facilities.

Dorset Echo: The English Channel route done by the teamThe English Channel route done by the team

She said: "Throughout winter after shifts during the pandemic I was having cold showers to prepare, but once things lifted and it was easier to get out I was swimming in the sea, lakes, reservoirs, wherever I could to be honest.

"It was dark and it was tough, things were hitting us in the face and we had to watch out for tanker ships which were coming across. It was pretty cold and miserable.

"I'm really glad it went ahead because we were a bit unsure whether it would. It was a personal accomplishment of mine growing up by the seaside. I always heard about people doing it and I didn't think it was going to be possible but the charity and my team mates helped me to get through it despite what has been an awful year for a lot of people."

Dorset Echo: Dervla Ireland had to improvise her training during the pandemic. Picture: Derva Ireland Dervla Ireland had to improvise her training during the pandemic. Picture: Derva Ireland

Dervla said she was thrilled to have raised such an incredible amount of money with her team mates and hoped it would go a long way to help Aspire give patients with spinal cord injuries the help and support they need.