FOUR Jersey Long Distance Swimming Club youngsters, along with two Australians, successfully completed their English Channel relay early this morning.

Raising funds for charity, the four Jersey girls, Alice Harvey (17), Bianca Kempster (16), Chantelle Le Guilcher (14) and Tasmin Powell (14), set off from Shakespeare Beach, Dover at 10.55 am yesterday and landed in France at Cap Gris Nez, just before 1 am today – clocking a time of 13 hours 47 minutes for the 21-mile stretch.

The girls have spent nearly 12 months preparing for the Sea to See Challenge having responded to an appeal from Australian swimming coach Dee Marie, who was looking for British open water swimmers to join two Australian teenagers in a fund-raising Channel relay.

They had left Dover in perfect conditions, only to be greeted by thunder and lightning on their arrival in France. The girls were chaperoned by Sally Minty-Gravett and Dee Richards, both solo Channel swimmers.

• Picture: Chantelle Le Guilcher (14), Alice Harvey (17), Tasmin Powell (14) and Bianca Kempster (16) Picture by Rob Currie (00567559)