When local Solicitor, Family Mediator and Partner at Evan’s Derry Solicitors, Karen Beevers received an email on International Women’s Day 2024 offering a chance to attempt a solo English Channel swim, it was too good an opportunity to turn down.
Now in the final 5 months of preparation for the big swim, the journey has taken Karen to places over the world in training for the 21 mile swim.
To prepare and acclimatise to swimming without a wetsuit, Karen has embraced cold water swimming to the extreme, becoming an ice swimmer in water temperatures of sub 5 degrees over the previous two winter seasons.
In January, Karen travelled to Poland with fellow ice swimmers to take part in the Polish World Championships 2026. She became one of the first English women to successfully complete the Baltic Beast 1 Kilometre swim at a water temperature of minus-0.34 degrees, as well as winning her age group in the freestyle events.
Building on endurance Karen has just returned from a Channel training camp in Poros, Greece, undergoing a week of intensive training in cooler water temperatures, night swimming & in wide ranging conditions, seeking to replicate challenges she will likely face in the Channel.
Karen shared “ the journey so far has been amazing- meeting and swimming alongside some really inspiring people, as well as swimming in places I’d never have previously anticipated. The physical and wellbeing benefits have been significant. When you see footage of chainsaws & diggers being used to carve the swimming pool out of the ice, you know you’re doing something out of the ordinary!”
Fellow partner Julie Bennett shared “It’s been fantastic for us all at Evans Derry to be part Karen’s journey over the last two years, and to support her to facilitate her training schedule.
The monies raised for two such worthwhile charities to date is phenomenal”.
Karen is raising funds for both Parkinson’s Uk & The Brain Tumour Charity, having seen the impact of both diseases on close friends & family. Karen added, “ Unfortunately, my Father has been living with Parkinson’s for several years and over recent months his movement has been significantly impaired. I often think when training how much he’d love the ability to move without restriction.
Karen’s Channel Swim window opens between
2nd – 9th September 2026.
SOLO CHANNEL SWIM 2026
I am fundraising for Parkinson’s UK & The Brain Tumour Charity by way of a solo English Channel Swim in September 2026. Any donations, however small on the following links would be greatly appreciated.
