Leicestershire woman dies crossing English Channel

[Larry_LCFC]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-23315992

Susan Taylor dies during English Channel charity swim

Susan Taylor "suddenly collapsed" in the water on Sunday

A woman has died while trying to swim across the English Channel for charity.

Susan Taylor, who was in her 30s and from Barwell, Leicestershire, died in Boulogne on Sunday after getting into difficulty during her swim.

On her fundraising page, she said she was doing the 21-mile endurance test to raise money for Rainbows Hospice in Loughborough and Diabetes UK.

Ms Taylor's sister said on Facebook she had "suddenly collapsed" in the water and was treated in a support boat.

Consular support

She said her sister was then airlifted to hospital, where she died.

Ms Taylor was swimming under the guidance of the Channel Swimming Association - which officially authorises crossing attempts - when she got into difficulty near the French coast at about 17:30 BST.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We are aware of the death of a British national in Boulogne on 14 July.

"We are in touch with the family and are providing consular assistance."

Ms Taylor's neighbour David Kitto said: "I'm just gobsmacked. She was a truly lovely girl and this is an absolute tragedy.

'Wonderful woman'

"She was a confident person anyway. She had a real presence about her. She was not a shrinking violet but nor was she hogging the front pages all the time.

"She was a very good swimmer; you used to see her going up and down in the fast lane at the pool and all the staff there knew her and got to know what she was doing."

She had raised more than £3,000 in sponsorship for the 21-mile swim across the English Channel, which is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.

Rainbows Hospice opened in 1994 and is dedicated to children and young people.

Its chief executive Geoff Ellis said: "Susan was a wonderful woman who would do anything for anybody. She has been a much loved ambassador at Rainbows for over two years, helping out at events and tirelessly fundraising for us.

"She was more than an ambassador; she was part of the Rainbows family."

Ms Taylor's sister asked well wishers to donate to her online fundraising page.

 

 

Sad. RIP

 

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserPage.action?userUrl=createaripple&pageUrl=3

[Fox92]

Don't really get why people do this. Try and raise money another way instead of putting your own life at risk. Swimming a river or anything has it's risks.

[purpleronnie]

Don't really get why people do this. Try and raise money another way instead of putting your own life at risk. Swimming a river or anything has it's risks.

Have to agree.

 

That said, very sad.

[The Year Of The Fox]

Sad news. My cousin and her brothers girlfriend both work for Rainbows. Agree though with Fox92

[Rincewind]

Agree but saying that the more challenging the task is the higher profile and more money is raised for the cause. She would have been confident of acheiving it and had advice. Still a lhigh risk to take on.

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

Absolutely tragic. Why does it always seem that the really good and caring people, come to these tragic ends?

 

God bless. RIP.