Olympic Swimmer Provides Guidance to BBC Staff

A BBC Radio Shropshire journalist, who completed over 300 lengths for a charitable cause, expressed that receiving advice from an Olympic swimmer was “a great honour.” Charlotte Benton, 25, having been involved in swimming for the majority of her life, eagerly seized the opportunity to participate in the Children in Need Big Swim. She completed 348 lengths across Monday and Thursday, a process that collectively spanned approximately four hours. However, she noted that having local Olympic swimmer Oliver Morgan review her technique before the challenge was instrumental in enabling her to cover the entire distance. Morgan, 21, from Bishop’s Castle, competed with Team GB at the Paris 2024 games in the men’s 4x100m medley relay and the 100m backstroke final. He offered Charlotte technical pointers before she embarked on the challenge. “He pulled out what was wrong with my technique immediately so that I could ultimately improve my performance and increase my stamina,” she said. “He picked up that I had a wonky left hand and that was what was hurting me during the swim.” “I’ve been swimming most of my life, I always aspired to be [an Olympian].” Charlotte and her colleagues, Adam Green, Carlie Swain, Tim Barnes, and Mark Elliott, collectively swam more than 24 miles (39km) over four days to raise funds for Children in Need. This effort was part of a larger initiative for all local radio stations to collectively swim 1,000 miles (1,609km). “It made me feel strong, because I swam the furthest distance I ever had,” said Charlotte. “I put a lot of pressure on myself to complete a good distance, the furthest distance, but the challenge wasn’t about that, it was about equal opportunity and working together to complete our part of the challenge.” “It’s been lovely to hear the donations going up and up each day; to hear we’d raised a little bit more money, that definitely spurred us on to keep going.” Mark Elliott, 38, completed the highest number of lengths within their team, despite not having swum seriously since he obtained his 800m swimming badge at school. “I got some really good tips off Ollie, mostly around keeping my legs and bum elevated,” he said. “Apparently, I naturally sink.” “In the end, I had to totally relearn how to swim, breathe and position myself in the water.” In addition to relearning the skill, he mentioned that he acquired buoyancy shorts to “aid me in my floatation.” Mark swam 386 lengths in two sessions, including a 5km (3.1 miles) swim in a single attempt, which was three times further than any distance he had previously swum. “I enjoyed doing it and will continue to swim in the future,” he said. “I’ve got skills that will last me a lifetime.” Collectively, BBC colleagues across the country have raised over £100,000 for Children in Need. For updates, follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.