Join Bartholomew Hall as we sit down with Folkestone teacher Jess Laurent as she takes on a challenge to become only the second woman in the world to swim from an abandoned Second World War fort in the Thames Estuary to the Whitstable shore.
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00:00Hello and welcome to Invicta Sport, the only show on your TV dedicated to Kent's sporting action.
00:18It's Monday the 28th of April. Here's what to expect on today's programme.
00:22Open water swim, Folkestone teacher to take on historic, rare Second World War Fort challenge.
00:30Tackling the field, Kent women's rugby clubs unite for joint fundraiser.
00:35And speeding through school, Smodland's primary pupils win national F1 competition.
00:43But first today, the women's rugby team, Sheppie Hughes, are used to playing week in, week out as part of the NC3 league.
00:51But for many other women's rugby teams in the rest of the county, some can even struggle to get a full side together.
00:58So to help bring the community to the sport, the mayor of Swale, for his charity day, pitched an exhibition match where Kent's women's teams would join forces, not just to help the teams, but to fundraise for good causes at the same time.
01:11Fing McDermott went down to the Isle of Sheppie to find out more.
01:14Well, it was a derby day like no other on the Easter weekend. Rivalries were put aside and new ones formed, with Aylesford Bulls ladies and Maidstone rugby club women's joining forces to take on Swale ladies, made up of Sheppie, Sittingbourne and Favisham ladies, RUFC.
01:37As part of the Mayor of Swale's charity day at the Sheppie Rugby Football Club, the two sides were playing to fundraise for charities like Lupus UK and Cetada, all while promoting women's rugby in the county.
01:48Women and girls rugby is becoming really big. It's building. At the moment we've got England Roses playing in the Six Nations at the moment.
01:58They're playing today as well, so anything like this is brilliant to get women and girls rugby out there.
02:04Just helping our local two teams as well to do the same, build their numbers so that you've got then extra local teams to then play and be involved as well.
02:16The Mayor selected the charities when he was elected and said he had the idea for the exhibition match at the club's end of year dinner.
02:22We came up with the idea of actually, we could put an event on, a Swale trophy. Initially we were thinking of having the three sides take part against each other, and then we actually thought, well no, hang on, Favisham and Sittingbourne are still developing, so why not have a combined Swale 15 and have a game that way?
02:42And Shepi have been fantastic in getting all this arranged with the other two clubs, bringing Maidstone and Aylesford over for the competition, and hopefully it's going to be a really good day and a really good game, and we can raise lots of money for the two charities.
02:54And one of those charities, Cetada, who give advice and support to those struggling with domestic abuse, credit these kind of events with getting their name and their work out there.
03:02It's really important, especially at a community event like this, for people to be aware of what we do. I think people just don't realise that domestic abuse is really prolific in our communities, and with one in four women being a victim of domestic abuse across their lifetime, we know that our services are never more needed.
03:22In the end, the home advantage wasn't enough, and despite leading by more than 20 points for the first half, Maidstone and Aylesford won by 42 to 35.
03:30One, two, three! Rugby!
03:34Now, even though Maidstone and Aylesford women's might have clutched the win here, it's also a wider victory for women's grassroots rugby here in Kent, with Faversham and Sittingbourne not often able to play these types of large games due to limited numbers.
03:47So even though it's been a day of tackling your opponent, they've also been tackling larger issues at the same time.
03:53Finn McDermid for KMTV in the Isle of Shepi.
03:57Really great work going on there in Shepi.
03:59Time now to meet today's special guest.
04:02Folkestone teacher Jess Laurent is taking on a challenge to become only the second woman in the world to swim from an abandoned Second World War fort in the Thames estuary to the shores of Whitstable.
04:13And I'm very pleased to say that Jess is here with me now in the studio.
04:16Welcome on to Invicta Sport.
04:18Really lovely to have you on the programme.
04:19I want to go on to talk about the ins and outs of this crazy, crazy challenge that you're taking on.
04:25But first I wanted to learn a bit more about yourself.
04:27So you told me before that you've always been a bit of a swimmer.
04:30So what's your history with swimming?
04:32So I used to be part of the swim team of my local town when I lived in France.
04:37So I've been a competitive swimmer for a long time.
04:39I then had a long hiatus because I'd injured myself.
04:42So I wasn't able to swim as much as I wanted to.
04:44And then a few years ago because of lockdown, sea swimming became very popular.
04:48And having moved to Folkestone, it was a nice opportunity for me to get out.
04:51So I started getting back into long distance swims again.
04:55And then that's what led me to do the channel swim and then swim for this Munsell Fort swim in August.
05:00I mean, a channel swim, long swim.
05:01I mean, what goes into you to make you want to do that?
05:05Because these are not easy things to take on at all.
05:06I do like to challenge.
05:07I'm quite competitive with myself.
05:09And I started doing charity fundraisers through exercise and sport in 2019.
05:14And it's just ramped up from there, basically.
05:16So I started off with running.
05:17Then it was playing rugby for charity.
05:19Then it was swimming.
05:21And I did a mile swim in the Thames in 2021, which then spurred on the competitiveness of I can go a bit further.
05:28And you're a teacher as well.
05:30That's your day job.
05:31So there must be something in you about sort of inspiring others and sort of teaching others that, you know,
05:36you can take on these challenges.
05:38Yeah, I do like to inspire people.
05:40I don't do it for being a model.
05:42But if I can inspire people along the way, then that helps the local community.
05:47It helps the children that I teach.
05:48I did a talk about the channel swim last week.
05:51And a lot of kids have said they want to start training to do a channel swim themselves.
05:54So it's really nice to see that they were motivated by something that I've done for them to go off and do something great in the future for themselves.
06:01Definitely.
06:02Talk me through the channel swim.
06:04How did that one come about?
06:06Because you did it in a group of people.
06:07You did one leg of the swim.
06:09Yeah.
06:09Talk me through that.
06:10So you normally have six people in a relay.
06:13The first person usually is the fastest swimmer.
06:15So I'm not as fast as some of my teammates.
06:18So I was the fifth swimmer.
06:20And you do an hour each at a time.
06:23And then depending on how long you take, you might do two legs or three legs.
06:25So I did two swims for the channel.
06:27So it was probably about 10k-ish thereabouts.
06:30So you take it all in turns, basically, and you continue on the same cycle.
06:34But you have to be monitored.
06:35No wetsuits, no music, nothing like that.
06:38So you all have to do it with the rules that happened when Captain Webb first swam it in the 1800s.
06:44And really difficult as well.
06:46And what were the conditions like when you did it?
06:48Well, we were quite lucky.
06:49So the photo showed the type of day that we had.
06:51But it's more the night-time swimming that's the hardest part of it.
06:54So you have to wear lights on your back to make sure the boat can still follow you.
06:58You have to make sure that you're not going through the shipping lanes.
07:01And if the tide changes or the weather changes, then it can be quite dangerous and quite scary.
07:05So I know there were teams that had really rainy days when they went on theirs.
07:08So some of them had to have their swims aborted.
07:11Some of them had to have them delayed because the tide wasn't right, which could happen to me in the next swim.
07:15So it would be a waiting game for when the pilot tells us that it's good to go.
07:20Yeah.
07:20And it's not just a matter of sort of going in the straight line as well.
07:23You know, you see that sort of the map.
07:25I'm sure we can get one up.
07:26Yeah.
07:26You see the map where you're going, that sort of zigzag pattern.
07:30What is that like in terms of preparation?
07:32How do you prepare for something that you can't sort of practice?
07:35It is quite tough.
07:36The main thing is to just keep swimming, swimming in the pool or in the sea, mainly the sea to get used to the tides and to get used to the currents that you might experience.
07:46But they just asked us as a team to make sure that we're swimming an hour a day, maybe two, three times a week if possible, and making sure that we're eating correctly.
07:55And also doing a lot of fitness in the gym, i.e. weightlifting, running, cycling to keep our cardio up.
08:01So it is intense.
08:02It was a very intense six months of training.
08:06I'd been training beforehand anyway, but you just ramp it up slowly because you don't want to do too much too quickly.
08:12Because the whole point is endurance.
08:13It's not about speed.
08:14It's about lasting as long as you can in the water.
08:16And what were your teammates like?
08:18Did you know them previously?
08:19No.
08:20I met them at the Aspire, the assessment day that we do.
08:24So you have to make sure that you can swim 450 metres in under 10 minutes.
08:28So that's already a challenge anyway.
08:30So considering everyone had injuries beforehand and I probably wasn't as fit as the rest of my cohort that year, it was an extra, extra challenge to sort of get the fitness up.
08:40And I never met any of them.
08:41They all knew each other, but I didn't know any of them.
08:43So, but we bonded really well and we had such a good, a good time.
08:46And Aspire also organises training weekends.
08:48So the first one for us this year is Dover, is next weekend.
08:52So we go there and we do two full solid days of just swim, swim, swim in the sea and then get out, go back to your normal pool swimming during the week.
09:00And it gives you a good idea of what to expect on the, on the day that you're out.
09:03Yeah.
09:04I mean, I know, I know it was really challenging, but it must have felt so amazing that, you know, once you completed it, that you're putting yourself on another challenge now.
09:11Yes.
09:12I wanted to go a little bit further.
09:14If I could do a channel swim as a relay, then I could probably do something a bit more difficult.
09:19And the reason why I keep doing it for Aspire is because they are a wonderful charity who do help people with spinal injuries.
09:24And it's not just helping in terms of making sure they've got a carer.
09:28There's wheelchairs involved.
09:29There's buying keyboards that are specialised for people who haven't got any mobility in their hands.
09:34There's buying sinks that they can move up and down to help assist those in wheelchairs or who are in full body paralysis.
09:41So it's really important to raise the money for them.
09:43And I know that you've, you know, it's not just swimming, you've taken part in lots of sports.
09:47I know we were talking about rugby a minute ago, also skiing as well.
09:51And through that, I know that, you know, those are both sports that are prone to injuries.
09:55And you've met people that have gone through spinal injuries.
09:58Yeah, so I, when I used to live in France, there was a lady who used to come over quite often named Anna Turney.
10:04And she was part of the GB Paralympian team.
10:06She's got spinal injury.
10:07So it's people like her who inspired me to, while I can, do something to help those in need more than I would need it, for example.
10:17And how did you come across Aspire?
10:20So it was when I was looking up channel swims, because I wanted to make sure that I was using someone who had a full team, who had a group of boats that we could use.
10:30Because you can't just jump in the sea with someone that, you know, that isn't trained.
10:35And so it was to make sure that it was organised so that we could be safe in the water, because obviously the sea is quite a dangerous place.
10:41And then when I saw what they do, I was really inspired, because I know some of my friends have used their services in the past.
10:48So I decided that to give back into the community, I would raise money for Aspire.
10:53And you already are.
10:54Your fundraising page has been doing really well.
10:56You've had a lot of support from a whole raft of people.
10:59What's that been like?
11:00It's been really nice.
11:01And I think the media outreach has really helped with that.
11:03But I'm not normally one to feel comfortable asking for donations, particularly during a cost of living crisis.
11:09But it's really important that that money gets raised for such a wonderful charity.
11:13Well, we'll talk lots more about the challenge and everything that you're going to be going through and your preparation for that after the break.
11:21But that is it for part one at the moment.
11:23Join us after the break for plenty more conversation with Jess.
11:27A reminder, just because the football season is over, there's plenty more news still to come throughout this season.
11:35So you can head to Kent Online to stay up to date with all the latest over the summer break.
11:39You can also take a look at the email alerts section, where you can have your weekly digest of non-league and Gillingham news from around the county sent directly to your email inbox.
11:49But that is it for part one.
11:50We'll be back in just a few moments.
11:51We'll be back in just a few moments.
12:51We'll be back in just a few moments.
13:21We'll be back in just a few moments.
13:51We'll be back in just a few moments.
14:21We'll be back in just a few moments.
14:51We'll be back in just a few moments.
14:52We'll be back in just a few moments.
14:53We'll be back in just a few moments.
14:57Hello and welcome back to Invicta Sport right here on KMTV.
15:13Today we're speaking with the Folkestone school teacher and swimmer Jessica Laurent, ahead of becoming only the second woman to take on a 7.1 nautical mile challenge off the coast of Whitstable.
15:25And Jess is still with me now.
15:26Jess, thank you very much for sticking with us here on Invicta Sport.
15:29Take me through the preparation that you need for this challenge because it's not the first, as we were talking about before the break, it's not the first of your open sea swimming challenges.
15:40What is it sort of like week in, week out for you at the moment?
15:43So at the moment there's a lot of sea training and there is a lot of pool training.
15:48So I'm going to be expected to be swimming for about six hours on the day.
15:52So it's a long, long time.
15:53So it's more about at the moment making sure I have that fitness for the endurance of the swim.
15:58Thames Estuary is a lot more tidal than the Channel in some ways because of the estuary that it goes through.
16:06So I need to make sure that I've got the strength in my arms and in my cardio to make sure that I can get through those difficult tides.
16:14Yeah, I mean, we just had the London Marathon at the weekend.
16:17It always makes me think as someone who's never run that sort of distance, it's how people can keep going for that many hours at a time.
16:22But six hours swimming, what's the longest that you've swam before?
16:26Probably about two hours at the most.
16:28So it's going to be a challenge mentally more than anything else.
16:31Physical wise, you can always help with, you know, food, drink, anything like that.
16:36But it's the mental challenge of having to keep going because there's not going to be anything.
16:40As you can see from that picture, there wasn't really anything around to look at or to think about.
16:43So, you know, there will come a point where I'm sort of thinking, oh, I've still got X miles to go.
16:51But luckily I'll have a team with me.
16:52There will be a boat accompanying me on the swim.
16:54So hopefully they'll be able to motivate me.
16:57This one's a bit more different than any other swim I've done before because I have to take into account being fed as well during it.
17:03So part of the training is going to be asking the Inspire team when we're at the training weekends to maybe chuck me a bottle of, you know, isotonic drink or anything like that.
17:11So and it's also making sure that the diet is there because because it's sea swimming.
17:16It's not going to be that warm.
17:17It will be 17 degrees in August.
17:18So having a bit of extra skin on you will help keep warm in the water.
17:24Yeah.
17:24And so are you I mean, are you stopping at all?
17:26Are you just constantly swimming?
17:28Just constantly swimming.
17:28How are you how are you communicating with them while you're going?
17:31So from from what I was told from the first person who completed it last year, they have a whiteboard sometimes or they just shout at you from across the boat because you're not actually that far from the boat in the channels when we went that far away.
17:41So you have to do you do have to make sure that you're quite close to the boat so that you can hear anything they need to tell you.
17:45So the only time I'd imagine I'd be told to stop is if there's a ship going past.
17:50So because they go past really quickly.
17:53Yeah.
17:54So, yeah.
17:55It's a fascinating route as well that you've chosen to take on being the second woman to take on the challenge, but the third person to ever have done it.
18:03How did you come across this one?
18:05You know, an abandoned World War Two fort just off the coast of Kent.
18:08So there is a there is a sea land swim that happens up in Ipswich.
18:12And one of the fundraiser guys from Aspire came up to me last week, last year when we were at the fundraiser.
18:19He said, I've got a new swim if you're interested to do it.
18:22So we talked about it at length for a few months.
18:24And then at the fundraiser weekend for the dinner that Aspire organise every year, he said, would you actually like to do it?
18:30So we emailed after the event and I signed up for it just before Christmas.
18:35And I said yes to it because I really, really wanted to accept the challenge.
18:38And I like the idea that it's not been done before by many people.
18:41Yeah, definitely.
18:43And it's, you know, these forts go all the way back to, you know, as I say, in the World War Two, they look so fantastic in the sea as well.
18:50So how does it work then?
18:51Were you getting on a boat to go out there, seeing them sort of get some nice pictures before you get off?
18:56And then it's just just swimming straight to Whitstable?
18:58Yeah, that's fantastic.
19:00And then, OK, so tell me, so this one you're doing entirely on your own.
19:04You won't have a team behind you, but you'll have the team in the boat.
19:06So what's the sort of plan with them?
19:08And I know you obviously were talking about the communication with eating and stuff.
19:12But, you know, have you got like a sort of a plan with them before you go out?
19:16We have got a plan.
19:17I haven't actually managed to see them yet to talk it through in detail.
19:20But I normally have, there'll normally be a man called Paul, who's been a really lovely friend of mine and good confidant to have when talking about training and swimming.
19:30So he will be there.
19:31If not, it'll be Andrew, who helps organise all the channel swims.
19:34I'm thinking anyway, I'm not 100% on that.
19:37But there will be a team of people to help support.
19:40And there'll also be the boat team, the pilot, and his team, or their team, should I say, helping out as well.
19:47So there'll be plenty of eyes on me at the time.
19:49So it'll be good.
19:50Yeah, and you're obviously very, it's just the biggest challenge that you've got.
19:54So how are you feeling about it?
19:56Are you nervous?
19:57I mean, compared to the channel swim, are you excited?
19:59I'm excited and nervous all at the same time because it is quite daunting.
20:02And obviously, as time goes on, the closer we get to the swim, the more I realise, oh, it's quite a big swim, this one.
20:08So it will be absolutely fine, but it is quite daunting.
20:13I'm worried about being tired, stung by jellyfish, anything like that.
20:17So it does have an impact, but I'm hoping it'll be great.
20:22Of course, also, you know, keeping in mind the cause as well, what you're doing for Aspire and, you know, all the people that will be helped by the money that you've raised as well, no doubt.
20:31Yeah.
20:31Yeah.
20:32So that's all fantastic.
20:34Let's talk a little bit more about some of your other sporting endeavours as well.
20:38And we mentioned that you're a teacher.
20:40You play rugby as well.
20:41How do you fit it all in?
20:43We always hear that, you know, teachers' lives are so busy all the time.
20:47Yeah, tight schedule.
20:49It's important to fit in extra things in your life because otherwise teaching will take over all of your time.
20:54So it's important to schedule in the things that make you happy.
20:56And it keeps me in a routine as well.
20:58So I've got rugby on Tuesdays and then matches on Sundays.
21:00And I'll make sure I go to the gym every day after work, even if I have to go home and do some more work afterwards.
21:07I'll just schedule it in to make sure that it's part of my day.
21:10Yeah.
21:10Fantastic.
21:11And having that routine as well.
21:11Can we get a name drop for your team?
21:14We were talking about, you know, female rugby earlier in the programme.
21:18Who's the team you play with?
21:19So I play with folks at Rugby Club.
21:21Okay.
21:22Yeah.
21:22How long have you been with them?
21:23So this season would have been my third season with them.
21:27I've absolutely loved playing with them.
21:28I'm looking forward to the next season.
21:29It'll be really good.
21:30We've got a whole load of new team players that have just joined.
21:32We do have the same struggles as the other teams where we don't always get full numbers for matches.
21:37So we tend to borrow players from other teams.
21:39So I've got to know some of the other girls quite well from the other teams.
21:43And any transferable skills that you can take from your rugby or your skiing into your swimming?
21:47I think the endurance of running on a pitch for 80 minutes.
21:49So that will definitely help.
21:51And I think the strength from playing rugby, because I'm a forward.
21:53So I play loose head prop.
21:56So I've already got the strength there.
21:57So it's just using that to build into the swim.
22:00Well, best of luck with the fundraising and the swim.
22:03And with everything else that you've got going on in the future.
22:05It's been lucky to speak with you, Jen.
22:08All right.
22:08Before we go this evening.
22:10Oh, there we go.
22:11Before we go this evening, a group of Formula One loving year six pupils from Snodland have won a national competition that involves science, technology, engineering and maths.
22:22Becoming the champions on the way.
22:25Striking Force designed and built their very own cardboard Formula One model before racing it against more than 600 others.
22:32Let's take a look at how they did.
22:34Striking Force!
22:35Design, engineering and speed.
22:40These year six pupils from Snodland Primary have become champions after winning the F1 in schools national finals, one of the UK's largest science and technology school competitions of its kind.
22:52Known as Striking Force, Leon, Jake, Thomas and Hugo were tasked with building their own Formula One team, complete with logo, merchandise and, of course, racing car.
23:03Our car is based off McLaren's cars, the blue, black and orange.
23:08So we have all our sponsors on the sides.
23:11We designed our logo based on a target because we're always striking for the fastest car.
23:18I take a look at F1 quite a fair bit and I take a lot of inspiration from it, so taking streamline design and taking as much inspiration as, like, the good stuff.
23:31When put to the test, the car clocked an impressive 1.832 seconds on the 20 metre track, making it the fastest on the grid.
23:40It was probably one of the most amazing experiences ever. I mean, everyone was so happy and it was just a great day for everyone.
23:47And, of course, a big part of the design process was studying the car's aerodynamics to make small fine-tuning adjustments to get extra speed on the car.
23:57Now, I'm going to be given a demonstration of how the wind tunnel works, which, in fact, they built themselves.
24:03So there's a smoke generator connected to this remote here. There's a pipe going into the disperser, which disperses the smoke evenly.
24:14And then there's the fan that's sucking the air through the wind tunnel.
24:19And then there's this part that just supplies everything with air so the smoke can travel fast.
24:27The group all came together thanks to their keen love for Formula One.
24:31I'm told all Lewis Hamilton fans, by the way.
24:34Their teacher, Mr Smith, noticed that the school was in need of an F1 club.
24:39The F1 club has really brought in children from different areas around the school.
24:43It's given them a chance to really build on those personal social skills, public talking, speaking amongst their peers, presenting in front of others.
24:50So it's a great chance for them to really build those skills.
24:53So after nine months of developing their winning formula, it's clear these youngsters have set themselves up for a future of success.
25:00It's Bartholomew Hall for KMTV in Snodland.
25:06The roar of engines and the smell of petrol filled the air at Browns Hatch as the 750 motor club arrived for their season opener.
25:13The club, designed as a low-cost entry into motorsports, has been running for over 85 years and shows no signs of stopping.
25:20The ethos around 750 is always to keep it low-cost, to allow people to come in on a tight budget, to be able to come out and do racing on slicks and wings, which I think is the best value for money you can get in racing in the UK.
25:35Founded in 1949, the 750 Formula is the longest continuously running motor racing championship in the world.
25:41Famous names like Colin Chapman, Golden Murray and Eric Broadley have all passed through its doors.
25:46And it really stands as a home for designers and racers who want to get interested in motor racing at a low-cost level.
25:52For what we're paying, this is top, probably better than some of the people that are paying top money.
25:58The 750 Formula is not the only racing series offered by the club, but is unique for both its history and the fact that so many of its drivers have family connections to the Formula.
26:06Many of the cars also have long connections with the club, with names like Simpson and Cowley being synonymous with the 750 Formula.
26:13With a bright history and a promising future, it doesn't look like the checkered flag will be coming down on this racing series anytime soon.
26:19Tim Forster, KMTV.
26:21And that is it from us on today's episode of Invictus Sport.
26:24Don't forget, there's plenty more sporting action available on our website.
26:28Just go to kmtv.co.uk, click on the Sports tab, and you can watch all our latest interviews and features from the channel.
26:36You can also click on our latest news segment as well, and you can catch up with all the latest news,
26:42plus all of our special programs available on demand on the KMTV website.
26:46That's it for now. We'll see you next week. Bye-bye.