CLAIRE Jones says she remembers standing on the Isle of Wight as a little girl, looking across to the mainland, and vowing one day she would swim the Solent.

Her grandmother lived on the island, and childhood trips to visit always involved swims in the sea: later her dad lived there too, and so going back always feels like going home.

When the chance came up to take part in a Western Solent swim from the Needles to Hurst Castle, Claire knew she had to go for it, even though it’s a piece of water reserved for the intrepid.

“That would have been part of the stretch of water I would have swum with dad,” she said.

“But it’s in the shipping lanes, and when we went across on the ferry during the summer holiday I did wonder what on earth I was doing – the wind was horrendous, the dog was getting blown sideways.

“Dad’s not with me any more, and I think he’d have been looking down on me, thinking ’what’s my bonkers daughter doing now’.”

Claire signed up to participate in the Solent swim for Aspire, a charity that supports those with spinal injuries. After two postponements due to poor weather, she was on tenterhooks, knowing that the window of possibility would close as winter approached.

Getting the call to say the event would go ahead on Saturday October 9, Claire headed for Hampshire to get on the boat that would take a 12-strong group from Limmington to the Needles for the start.

Back in Cornwall, her class of Year 4 pupils at Bishop Cornish School were cheering her on, having heard all about her preparations for the big swim.

Describing the day, Claire said: “It was so amazing! There was a fair amount of chop which made stroke technique quite tricky at times. And it was rather strange being so far away from land,” she said.

“The finish was not quite as planned, as the current was very powerful. The safety team made the decision that we all needed to get back in the boat as we were being carried mid-channel. It was like swimming hard in an endless pool.

“We still did the planned distance of five kilometres (but Garmin actually said seven!) in a time of 1h14.

“The safety crew let us jump out and swim the last bit when out of the currents – so I did get to finish on the beach after all.”

For Claire, 46, the benefits of sea swimming are the fitness, the mental clarity gained when in the water, and the sheer fact that it’s so enjoyable and relaxing.

She’s now setting her sights on two more events: the Eastern Solent swim from Gosport to Ryde, and Lake Windermere, which she jokes that at a mere 11 miles, will require a “little bit more training!”Claire has raised around £850 for Aspire - to find out more and support her in her efforts you can visit the fundraising page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/claire-jones227