A bridge not too far

On the 11th August, on a chilly but bright morning, with the Thames two degrees colder than expected, Sam undertook yet another challenge on Team Hutton's fundraising journey in aid of the RNLI and in memory of their brother Charlie. Mum and Dad (our FD and MD) were there to see him off and despite second thoughts he entered the water with over 300 other swimmers. The event is only in its third year and has already tripled in size.

The 14km Bridge to Bridge swim starts at Henley and is billed as non competitive but the challenge is to beat the Thames, keeping out of the way of boats, kayaks, angry swans, ducklings and swimming dogs. With stops at locks, there's just time to grab a bite of a banana or chocolate snack before jumping back in with all the other seasoned swimmers, including a few cross channel fanatics.

The murky waters of the Thames are enough to freak out even the best swimmers but after a very shaky start, coming to terms with both the emotion of the event and his first experience of swimming in the Thames, Sam settled into his natural stroke and started to enjoy what is a magnificent stretch of theThames. The supporters were able to walk along the banks watching their friend or family member making steady progress towards the next stop. A great day and another great achievement. A small photo diary can be seen here of the day: http://bit.ly/Sam_henleyB2B

This stretch of the Thames Path is great for a weekend walk or cycle, but if you do decide to swim, do make sure you get the tide right and swim with it or it may be a bridge too far...

Footnote:
Tom and Sam's next event is the Charlie Hutton Hockey Festival to be held at Whitgift School South Croydon on Saturday 7th September 2013 from 10am. It should be another great day so if you fancy it, come along and support the teams and watch the passion, skill and fun that was so much part of Charlie's life. Team Hutton's giving page will remain open for further donations to the RNLI http://bit.ly/RNLIfundraising

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