Prisha Tapre, a pupil at Bushey Meads School in north London turned 16 in August. Apart from her GCSEs, it is swimming that has been a major part of her life – something she chooses over being on her phone as her preferred “free time”.
Earlier this month on a relatively calm day, Prisha completed a solo swim across the English Channel to raise awareness and funds for Akshaya Patra – a charity fighting against childhood hunger in India and the UK. The English Channel is a notoriously difficult route, considered one of the most challenging open-water swims in the world. Prisha’s swim covered 34 kilometres over 11 hours and 48 minutes – from Dover to Cap Gris Nez in France.
Here, she looks back at this tough charity challenge which ended up raising £3,700 for her chosen charity.
What drew you to this challenge?
Since I was 12, I have been going to the lake near my home in Hertfordshire. My parents told me about the Channel, and we started researching together and decided together as a family. From that day on, every single training session was geared towards my swim across the Channel.
Free time and swimming are almost the same thing for me. I would rather come home from school and instead of going on my phone, I would rather go down to my lake because that's my calm place. I go there to chill.
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Were there moments of despair during the swim?
It's always the first two hours that is the hardest part of the swim because it's about getting your mind around the fact that this is where you're going to be for the next few hours. I was actually beginning to get quite sleepy and my eyes were about to shut, but then the sun started to come up and the sleep went away.
The jellyfish stings were probably my favourite bit because it's just an extra feeling. After swimming for like nine hours, you're in a sort of trance. But then the jellyfish stings kind of reminded me that I'm actually alive. I know it sounds odd, but it was something to tick off my bucket list.
I kept reminding myself that this is where I am meant to be; giving up would be selfish.
What made you choose Akshaya Patra as the charity for this mission?
I wanted a charity that I could relate to and that meant something to me. So, when I found out Akshaya Patra helps kids both in England and India, it really connected with me. I wanted a charity that has both sides of me.
My heart goes out to all those kids who live in poverty, both in England and India. That there may be no confirmed meal at the end of the day is heart-breaking.
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What comes next after completing this tough challenge?
I do need a lot more time to focus on my studies as I have just started a new school term and have to study for A Levels. But I definitely want to complete a 24-hour swim, though not sure when. What I do know is that after the Channel, the swims are only going to keep getting bigger.
*Info: Akshaya Patra