Julie Botticello

A GRANDMOTHER is swimming the English Channel in support of the Whittington.

Julie Botticello, a 57-year-old academic, will leave Dover and swim for up to 20 hours without a wetsuit to Cap Gris-Nez in France. It is considered one of the toughest endurance swims in the world – more people have climbed Mount Everest than have swum the English Channel.

Dr Botticello said she has wanted to give something back after her three-year-old granddaughter was hospitalised multiple times with conditions including the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Thanks to lifesaving care provided by the Whittington’s paediatric team – her granddaughter overcame both illnesses and has since taken up swimming herself.

Ms Botticello’s three-year-old granddaughter

She added: “During repeated hospital stays, the outdoor play area helped my granddaughter regain her strength. It was a lifeline. The charity funded that space, and now they’re doing even more to improve the children’s ward.

“This swim is for my granddaughter, for every child who finds themselves in hospital, and for the Whittington staff and charity team who make recovery just that bit more human and hopeful.”

• To support Julie’s swim and donate to Whittington Health Charity, visit www.justgiving.com/page/julie-botticello-ec-solo