SWIMMING from England to France is an extreme challenge in anyone's book, but for a group of Warrington swimmers that's only half the story.

A team of six swimmers from the Warrington Dolphins long distance swimming club will be attempting to swim across the English Channel and back to help raise money for Cancer Research UK.

The swimmers, Michaela Richard, Caroline Lewis, Jo Norton-Barker, Andy Wright, Mark Blewitt and Chris Carter are all aged between 34 and 58. Four of the team have already managed to swim across the channel in solo efforts but they are hoping to become the first from the club to complete the two-way relay.

From this Sunday they will be on standby at their base in Dover waiting for a slot in the weather to make the crossing.

Michaela Richard said: "We are booked from the 19th to the 26th so we are on call all week, we are just going to be waiting around for the weather to be right. We are just hoping that it's going to be on our side. Fingers crossed we will go within that week. We were all lucky that on our solos we went on the first day."

They will be setting off from Shakespeare Beach, Dover and each will take it in turns to spend an hour in the water. At the half way point the swimmer who reaches the French coast first will have to pull themselves out of the water and stand on French land before climbing back into the water to start the swim back.

Michaela added: "I think it is more mentally difficult because you do an hour and then you have five hours off so it is getting back in to the cold water again. It is going to be a challenge coming back but we are strong mentally.

"We are hoping to do it in the 27 hour mark but we all just want to complete the two way swim."

If you would like to sponsor the group in their English Channel swim visit www.justgiving.com/channelswimre lay2007.

vicki.stockman@guardiangrp.co.uk