The Big Rick’s Chicks Channel relay team became the first ever all female medley relay to swim the English Channel, landing in France just before noon on 1 September, after 12 hours and 17 minutes of swimming.
The four swimmers, Melanie Holland (backstroke), Claire Thorn (breaststroke), Lucy Lloyd-Roach (butterfly), and Sarah Hempenstall (freestyle) - known as Big Rick’s Chicks - are part of British swimming club, Big Rick’s Swim Team, formed after the passing of marathon swimmer Mark Rickhuss in 2005, who suffered a heart attack whilst supporting another swimmer across the Channel aged 40.