Fifteen-year old Finlay Marsden, from Worksop, will be swimming the Channel in August to raise funds for his planned month-long expedition to Cambodia next year.
The avid swimmer will be at Worksop College pool, in Worksop, from 7.00am to 3.00pm on 5th to 7th August and he will be aiming to swim the equivalent of 21 miles across the English Channel, by completing 1,479 lengths of his local pool.
Finlay is a member of the Worksop Dolphins, our local swimming team, and he attends training six days a week. He has allowed three days at the advice of his swimming coach and we all have our fingers crossed for him.
This amazing feat is the biggest he’s taken on yet in his challenge to raise £4,500 to cover the cost of his trip.
In July 2025, Finlay will be finishing his GCSEs at Outwood Academy Valley in Worksop and then heading to Cambodia for a month long expedition with Camps International. During his visit he will be involved in vital community projects and environmental work. There will also be some sightseeing at the end, and the opportunity to complete his PADI Open Water Scuba Diving course.
As well as his swimming, Finlay loves drama. He is studying drama GCSE, attends the Young Theatre company in Worksop, and recently began at weekly stage and screen acting classes at Inspire in Sheffield. He also plays bass guitar and sings in the school rock band.
He is being cheered all the way by his parents Joanna and Chris Marsden, and his brother Oliver. His mum said: “We are so very proud he has taken on this challenge. With the support of family and friends, and his fantastic work ethic, we have full confidence he’ll achieve his goal.”
Finlay is already nearly half way to his goal, through donations, sales of craft items, and second hand item sales on Facebook marketplace. He will also be supporting Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice in North Anston, Sheffield, with a donation from his sponsorship.
Please check out his page on Facebook ‘Finlay swims the Channel 2024’., and to read more about him and his trip, his gofund.me page is: https://gofund.me/12cb211b.