AN Ealing Hospital doctor has been training to swim the English Channel and is raising money for charity in the process.

Dervla Ireland has been spending several hours a week training for the gruelling swim later this summer.

She will be part of a six-person team, which includes a lawyer, a policeman, a soldier and two teachers, with each team member expected to swim three one-hour legs.

The team called Aspire Bulldogs are raising money for Aspire, a charity that supports people with spinal cord injuries, to help them live full and independent lives.

Dervla isn't the first person in her family to attempt the crossing, with her father completing a solo channel swim and her sister taking part in a successful channel relay swim.

Dervla said: "I was 10 years old when my dad swam the channel and remember being distinctly unimpressed until my mum told me he was in the water from more than 14 hours."

She began training last summer but faced a lot of disruption when the second lockdown saw swimming pools and group activities suspended.

She managed to stay in shape by running and cycling, and even managed to acclimatise to the cold waters of the channel by taking long cold showers and baths to toughen her up.

She added: "I'm swimming several hours a week now and have been using the outdoor ponds in Hampstead and the local reservoir.

"It's going well and we had our first group session in Dover recently which involved swimming round the harbour.

"It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.

"I'm just trying not to think about the jellyfish or getting seasick."

If you wish to support Dervla and the Aspire Bulldog's fundraiser, click HERE.