How do you celebrate an MBE? Swim across the channel and back!

Tuesday 14 June 2016

One of the leading figures in Jersey swimming has been awarded the MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List, and is planning a special swim to celebrate the achievement.

Sally Minty-Gravett began coaching at the age of 14 and even with her 60th year approaching she is in training for a stab at swimming the English channel - both there and back!

She said she felt “truly humbled” by the award, given to her for years of service to the sport: “I’m actually still very stunned by being honoured in this way. I can’t quite believe it. I found out back in April I had been given the award and had to keep quiet about it for eight weeks. Since it has been formally announced I have had so people saying well done and how pleased the are. I am truly humbled and also very proud. I had no idea I had been put up for it and to receive an honour like this is amazing.

“The award is for services to swimming and I have spent a lifetime enjoying every minute of what I do.”

Sally, 59, has swum the Channel in every one of the last five decades, but she has an even greater challenge looming as she is set to swim from Dover to Cap Gris Nez - and back. 

“It is all planned for the end of August and is now all weather dependant,” she said. “I first swam the Channel when I was 18 years old and every decade I have done it once. But I’ve never done it both ways so that is the challenge now. 

“After that I will do my sixth crossing in 2020 when I am 63 years old. That will mean six decades of swimming across the Channel.” 

Sally is also hoping to swim around the island in the next few weeks - again depending on the weather. “I did it in ten hours, but that is nothing compared to the Channel, which takes about 15. As for swimming the Channel and then going straight the other way, it’s fair to say that is a bit of a challenge, but I am determined to do it.”