A GROUP of women who have been touched by the work of Wessex Heartbeat are preparing to swim the Serpentine to raise money for the charity.

The ‘Cardiac Crawlers’ want to give back to the charity after seeing, and in some cases experiencing, the difference it makes to cardiac patients and their families.

The team of seven, all from the Southampton area, include a specialist nurse at Southampton General Hospital’s cardiac unit and people whose family members have undergone cardiac surgery.

Laura Gray, 71, has seen first-hand the support Wessex Heartbeat offers.

She said: “We feel that by raising money for the charity, we are giving back a little to those who have given so much to help our loved ones and to support us.

"It’s hard to put into words what it means to have a reassuring chat to someone in the ICU at 2am, or when a staff member sees the numbing effect of distress, and takes the time to patiently explain again – and again, so that we really understand what’s happening.”

Team leader Lynda Tellett, a nurse at the Cardiac Centre at Southampton General Hospital, added: “For those who come to the centre from as far away as the Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands, it’s such a relief to be able to stay at Heartbeat House, right across the street from where their loved ones are being treated. The charity does much for me and my patients so I always try to do what I can in return.”

The team will take on the Serpentine Swim on September 22, where the majority will take on the two-mile outdoor swim challenge.

Lynda will be on a swimming trip in the Mediterranean but has pledged to swim two miles in the sea there at the same time as the rest of the ladies take on the challenge.

She said: “I imagine the conditions will be a lot more pleasant than London so I’ve definitely got the good deal on this one!”

To sponsor the team visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cardiaccrawlers