Bear Grylls praises ‘courage’ of Knaresborough woman who is preparing to take plunge in World Ice Swimming Championships

Jacqui Hargrave, an incredible open air swimmer who once spent 14 hours in the chilly waters of Lake Windermere in an epic fundraising swim for Saint Michael's Hospice, is in the middle of preparing for next month's IISA World Championship in the French Alps.

Swimming in a water temperature of 5ºC (41ºF) wearing only a silicon cap, a pair of goggles and a standard swimming costume, Jacqui and the GB team were joined at their Yorkshire training camp by Bear Grylls OBE, the adventurer, writer, TV presenter and Chief Scout.

"We are training really hard for the world ice swimming championships,” said Jacqui, whose popular blog ‘openwaterwoman’ recording her exploits has built up a readership of more than a quarter of a million.

"On Boxing Day we were joined by Bear Grylls, who has been a massive supporter of our swimming.

"One of my colleagues in the GB team, Lara, is Bear’s sister.

"We’ve been allowed to train at an outdoor pool in Aberford, which has been a godsend."

The IISA World Championship is the ice swimming world championship event sanctioned and organised by the International Ice Swimming Association which was founded in 2009 in Cape Town.

Taking place from January 12-15, 2023 in the town of Samoëns, located in the Vallée du Giffre which is renowned for winter sports, Jacqui is currently training both indoors and outdoors, at a lake in Doncaster as well as a friend’s outdoor pool in Aberford.

After Bear Grylls paid a visit to their training camp earlier this week, he went on Twitter to say how impressed he was.

He tweeted: "Great to swim today with some of the ice swimming GB team!

"What they’re doing takes courage and determination, and I’m so proud of my sister Lara who is swimming next month in the world ice championships - you’re going to smash it!"

As well as Jacqui and Lara Fawcett, sister of Bear Grylls, the GB team also includes an old friend and warrior in arms whose efforts are just as remarkable.

Jonty Warneken hails from Kirk Deighton and has become an open water swimmer after fighting back from a dreadful car crash near Ripley in 1994 when he had to have his left leg amputated below the knee.

Since she first took up outdoor swimming in 2013, the intrepid Jacqui has survived run-ins with huge pike, a stand-off with a swan and being rescued by a boat in a lightening storm.

In 2020, this former worker in learning support at King James School in Knaresborough swam the 21 miles of Lake Windermere to raise funds for Harrogate charity Saint Michael’s Hospice that had offered “amazing care” for her close friend Jane Birkinshaw in her final days.

Jacqui also once trained for a swim across the English Channel on a diet of Bettys' Fat Rascals.

A published e-author, Jacqui’s book Open Water Woman Swims Windermere sold thousands of copies on Amazon.

During lockdown her light-hearted '1 Minute Swim Cap Challenge' video went viral and ended up on ITV's This Morning.

More at www.openwaterwoman.blogspot.com/