Honoured pupils and staff members at Beech Hall School recently welcomed a highly inspirational guest, esteemed endurance swimmer and multiple world record holder Chloe McCardel.
Australian born Chloe, who is in the UK to complete an additional seven solo swims of the Channel and become Queen of the Ocean with a record-breaking 44 crossings, visited the Tytherington-based school where she met with the Beech Hall Channel Relay Squad. The 15-strong team of pupils in year 8 to 11 are preparing to take on the Channel this September, as part of fellow Channel solo and relay swimmer Nikki Pope’s ‘Mencap Marvels’.
The determined pupils commenced their strenuous training programme in September 2020, being put through their paces in the school’s outdoor swimming pool and combatting the natural conditions of open-water. Led by qualified, open-water swimming coach Nikki, the pupils have worked tirelessly to develop their technique, cardio and body composition in the water, also swimming in sub-five-degree water in order to understand that they can withstand much more than they initially believe.
Chloe joined the Beech Hall squad for a swim and shared with them many words of wisdom, helping to inform and motivate the pupils ahead of their extraordinary challenge. Renowned for her multiple records for endurance swimming across the world, the pupils were in awe of Chloe and her achievements.
James Allen, Headmaster at Beech Hall School commented, “It was an honour to welcome the inspirational Chloe McCardel to Beech Hall School. She spoke with great passion about her adventures and her motivation resonated well with our pupils, standing them in good stead for their arduous feat ahead.
“I am beyond proud of the hard work and dedication shown by our Channel Swim Squad on their journey to swim the Channel this year. This incredible opportunity is a highly demanding, yet exceptionally rewarding endeavour, and allows our pupils the opportunity to personally challenge themselves, developing their skills and self-confidence.”
Those wishing to make a donation in aid of Mencap can visit: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MencapMarvelsBeechHall
Beech Hall School is a non-selective independent school for children aged from six months to 16 years old. It is situated in a stunning 16-acre site with two listed buildings, playing fields and a swimming pool.
Beech Hall is committed to providing a child-centred education which focuses on every individual child’s strength and gives each one the opportunity to achieve a wide variety of academic, sporting and extra-curricular goals.
Bespoke, quality teaching is at the heart of Beech Hall’s core values and the recent renovation has made the personalised learning approach all the more achievable.
To find out more about Beech Hall visit www.beechhallschool.org