Retirement going swimmingly

Some people find themselves all at sea when they retire from working life but a retired surgeon from Guernsey has his own answer to this, having set himself a series of challenges to keep ‘fit and healthy’.

In the latest feat he made a splash in the media as he became the oldest person ever to swim the English Channel. According to the BBC, Roger Allsopp, aged 70, set off from Shakespeare Beach in Dover and swam the channel in 17 hours and 51 minutes in an ‘incredible personal challenge’.

Mr Allsopp completed the swim in order to raise money for cancer research at the University of Southampton. He spoke of his retirement as ‘wonderful’ but emphasised his determination to keep ‘active in mind and body’.

Birdman Competition Really Takes Off

The Worthing International Birdman competition got off to a less than flying start after wind-stopped-play on Saturday. Although plans for the tournament were up in the air for a time, sunshine and a reduction in wind speed brought ideal conditions for contestants competing to fly over 100 metres on the Sunday.

According to Sky News there were nine serious competitors in the event who jumped off the side of Worthing Pier in West Sussex from a tower measuring 35ft in height. Several thousand people turned up to spectate at the event, witnessing contenders leap from the pier dressed as anything from David Hasselhoff (in the obligatory Knightrider car) to a BLT Subway sandwich!

With a potential jackpot of £10,000 for any contestant who travels more than 100m it is certainly worth dropping by to have a go. Alas for this year’s fearless fliers the jackpot went unclaimed. However Bill Brooks was awarded prize money amounting to £3,250 for spending more than 14 seconds in the air and travelling a distance of 78.4m.


See Guardian or Sky News for more pictures