The News-Press and Naples Daily News held their annual Southwest Florida Sports Awards Show on May 29 at Suncoast Arena on the campus of Southwest Florida State College. During the show, we announced the Seacrest Volleyball team as the 2024-25 Girls Team of the Year.

The final All-Big Bend teams of the year are here as the spring sports round out the Tallahassee Democrat’s annual award season.

A BUSINESS leader from the New Forest will be making a splash to raise money for a children’s swimming charity.

Marketing strategist and mum-of-two Sarah McCrae will take part in a relay swim across the English Channel to support SwimTayka.

The UK-based charity provides free swimming lessons in “low-resource” coastal areas of countries like Brazil, Peru and Bali, where the risk of drowning is high and access to swimming education is limited.

Collectively called the Team SeaGals, Sarah will join five teammates in July as they swim in rotation for an hour at a time from Dover to the French coast.

The 20-mile crossing can take between 11 and 18 hours, depending on tides and weather, and will see the team face strong currents, busy shipping lanes and freezing water temperatures, all without wetsuits.

It’s scheduled to take place between 23rd and 31st July, depending on tides.

Sarah said: “We are brought together by a shared sense of adventure and a commitment to this meaningful cause.

“Each team member is facing her own personal challenge: from overcoming injury, managing cold-water anxiety, to rebuilding fitness.

“What unites us is a collective determination to train hard, support each other and achieve this incredible goal together.”

Although Sarah has a strong swimming background from her youth in club swimming, water polo, and windsurfing, the Channel swim is unlike anything she’s ever faced before.

“I’ve always loved the water but I also have a deep-rooted fear of open water and what lurks beneath the surface,” she said. “This is completely outside my comfort zone. I’m doing this to raise funds for SwimTayka because I believe every child deserves the chance to feel safe and confident in the water. It’s not just about sport, it’s about survival.”

Training for the challenge began during the winter, with Sarah focusing on endurance training in the pool and gym and cold-water acclimatisation dips in the sea.

She has done open-water swims at Ellingham Lake north of Ringwood, QuaySwim in Mytchett, Surrey, and other locations along the south coast.

Sarah has also been training regularly with her team at Aldershot Garrison, Littlehampton and Dover Harbour, simulating the demanding conditions of a Channel relay.

SwimTayka founder Bryan Avery said: “More people have climbed Everest than have swum the English Channel.

“We’re incredibly grateful to Sarah and the SeaGals for taking on this monumental challenge. Their support will directly help us reach more children with essential water safety skills.”

Sarah is aiming to raise £2,000 for SwimTayka, and all funds will go directly to support their international programmes.

Donations can be made via https://justgiving.com/page/sarah-mccrae-swimtayka