In this section of the site you can view the profiles of the swimmers taking part in the challenge. Check out these unique super-human candidates!
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Alex Parkinson
26
Singer in Summer Holiday
One year when I was a kid, about 8 or 9 years old in the run up to Christmas a family friend promised to take me and Tom to see Big Daddy wrestling in Halifax and my mum had been leaving heavy hints that there might be a trombone and maybe even a diver's knife in the Xmas stocking and we'd just got a dog and on top of all that our best mate Elwood reckoned he'd seen a red indian tribe in the woods and said that when school was supposed to start again we could all run away and live in their camp. I'm that exited now about swimming to Bestival.
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36
Floating
Bit of a reality check this one! Swimming to Bestival is the only way to travel! So, it’s finally time to dust down the wetsuit and head to the Solent with my one way ticket! ……Behind this little bit of madness is an awesome challenge and a chance to raise some money for some very worthy charities! Let’s hope for sunshine and small waves…!
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35
Music Business
I love festivals and I love swimming, so this seems like an obvious thing to do. Thanks very much to Colin and Yasmin for organising an unexpectedly complicated exercise.
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Roberto Wace
26
struggling entrepreneur, personal tutor, translator, and general odd jobber!!
I’m especially excited about this swim, what better finishing line can exist than a festival?! Bring it on! (..and please sponsor me!)
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John Shippey
Old enough to know better
Fish-worrier
Holding my breath
I’m scared of deep water, seaweed, sewage, shipping lanes, jellyfish and other sea creatures, but Bestival is closer and more fun than France. Better go for a swim!
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26
Stung with nickname Delboy cos I do the client and dollar side of The Neon Hive, a creative agency. Like beer, hate spiders, rather be surfing 99% of the time! Not entirely sure why I put myself up for swimming to Bestival - I think at the time I fancied a bit of a challenge or something... but I also recall I was quite drunk.
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dancer, actor
I am also a cook, lover of and fitting for COS clothing, member of
BSAC British Sub Aqua Club (big cheers to all), I am italiana from toscana, partner of Alex Parkinson, a fun of Paolo Sorrentino, Narciso Yepes 'Jeux Interdits', I like! politically correct and charity of course... someone said 'Do one thing each day that's new or scary', I swim to the Isle Of White on the 10th of September.
I am scared! I am thrilled!
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Old enough to know better
A&E nurse
Why am I swimming to Bestival? Because I'm a sucker for a challenge!
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37
BESTIVAL BOOKER
I’ve been working inside Rob Da Bank’s Bestival head since its incarnation in 2004. Only feels like yesterday since we first set foot on the great Isle and now we’re 6 years in and still getting bigger and better. Friday’s always my busiest day but a wee swim to work on the Thursday should set me up well for the weekend ahead. Bricking myself but always up for the challenge!
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Musician
Why (after practicing in swimming pools) swimming to the Isle of Wight should be easy:
1) Salt water is more buoyant.
2) There's no drag from a locker key.
3) Tides, waves and currents will carry us there.
4) Goose fat.
Plus: I'm keeping the goose alive - with reins attached.
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Radio 1 Producer
Last year I filmed the swim from the safety of a nearby pirate ship but this year I'm walking the plank...Things that scare me most about the swim are container ships, hovercrafts, rusty shopping trolleys and submarines. But I've done a few rounds with the wave machine down at my local leisure center so hopefully I'll be ok...that is until someone mentions the word 'jellyfish'!!
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37
Not getting into trouble anymore ;-(
International Super Star DJ (Retired)
I really want to swim to Bestival to let people know I am on the way to making a full recovery after having been diagnosed with Leukemia on Nov 30th 2007. A way of saying thanks to all the people who were so kind to me when I was ill. All the people who raised money for me, cooked healthy food for me, came to see me, sent cards, emails and texts and generally supported me though what was a difficult time. I feel this would be a good way of saying thanks and giving something back to people less privileged than us.
Having gone into early ‘DJ’ retirement (or not early enough as some might say;-) I thought I better find a way of blagging a free ticket off Rob Da Bank to my favorite Festival. Swimming seemed like the only way as it sold out so early this year, I literally missed the boat!
