Pub landlords and their friends are swimming the equivalent of the English Channel.

Karen Rennie and Jordan Moorcroft run the Old House at Home, in Pudding Lane, Maidstone and met their teammates there.

Maggie Longhurst and Charlie Indge are swimming teachers, and Mel and Dave Sinfield work in an office.

They decided to take on the 22-mile challenge to raise money for Aspire, a charity which supports people with spinal cord injuries.

The team found out about the challenge on social media and thought they could use with some extra motivation for their swimming passion.

They said: "Some of us have been friends for decades, which adds to the strong bond in the team and how much we mean to each other.

"We love working as a team as we encourage each other and often swim together.

"It gives you personal motivation as you don’t want to let your team down. There is nothing better than sharing a lane with your swim buddy knowing that every length is being added to the team pot."

The Aspire Channel Swim runs every year and challenges swimmers of all abilities to rack up 22 miles over 12 weeks.

The Old House at Home team began last Monday.

In the past 22 years, it has raised more than £7 million for the charity Aspire.

For more information on the 2023 event, click here or email swim@aspire.org.uk. To sponsor the Maidstone team, click here.

It is not the first time the six friends have raised funds for charity, as Karen and Jordan used to have collection points behind the bar, and are planning to hold a quiz night in their pub.

They said: "It’s shocking how many people are impacted by spinal injuries.

"Taking part in this challenge means we can share Aspire’s message and their work.

"What they do to help is incredible and we are proud to share this message."