Revd Phil Arnold, vicar of Christ Church Upper Armley, will swim the 21 miles of the English Channel, in his local pool in aid of vital church building improvements.
He will swim 5 hours every day for five days consecutively and said: "I approached the Armey Leisure Centre manager, Dean McKenna nine months ago and he agreed to make it happen.
The centre has a brilliant pool, I really enjoy swimming there and it’s a hub for healthy living in the Armley community and beyond.”
Revd Phil asked for a bit of coaching and was linked with swimming teacher Lucy Miller, and her dad Alan Miller, a top coach who worked with swimmers at the City of Leeds Swimming club at the International Pool and the John Charles Aquatic Centre.
“Suffice to say, I haven’t lived up to those lofty heights, but it’s been a rewarding journey,” said Revd Phil.
The leisure centre has provided two lanes so that others can join him for a mile of the swim.
The swim is to raise money from the Armley Good Neighbours Project, that seeks to future-proof Christ Church by making improvements to the building with a target of £300,000.
At Christ Church each week around 350 people come through the doors, Monday to Friday. This includes refugees and asylum seekers, food bank beneficiaries, parents/ carers and toddlers, young people doing GSCE revision, those coming for a Warm Welcome meal and many more.
If you’d like to support the swim you can do so via Just Giving here