A Minster woman has raised £800 after taking part in a charity mile swim.

Sharon Collins, of Lynmouth Drive, took part in a mass dip at Lake Windermere.

It was for the Great North Swim, Europe’s biggest open water challenge, an annual gathering that attracts thousands of entrants over three days. Competitors take the plunge in groups of 100 in half-hourly intervals.

Watched by the world’s media, Sharon said the water was a little lively, in more ways than one.

The 44-year-old said: “When I got in, I was kicked in the hand straightaway. The weather was overcast and it was really choppy. It was more daunting because there were TV cameras hovering around your head.”

Sharon, who works at Aesica, said a TV documentary last year based on the Great North Swim inspired her to take the challenge.

She took the six-hour drive to Cumbria for the event held earlier this month with her fiancee, Paul Ralph.

As a regular visitor to Sheerness pool, and having trained for the task at Leybourne Lakes outside Maidstone, Sharon was in buoyant mood when she arrived in Windermere.

“The real thing was harder than the practice,” she said. “When you see the distance you actually have to swim, a looks a long way.”

Sharon completed her mile in 42 minutes, 15 seconds earning a medal as a ‘finisher’.

As well making a decent splash, Sharon has so far raised a tidy sum for Macmillan Cancer Support. She chose the charity because she knows “quite a few people who have had cancer in the past couple of years”.

She said the buffeting she took hasn’t put her off returning next year where she hopes to be joined in by fiancee, Paul.

“If you’re looking for a challenge, Lake Windermere’s a good one to try,” she said.