I’ve heard of travelling in a refreshed style, but this takes the biscuit! This weekend coming is the annual Bestival on the Isle of Wight, which attracts thousands of party goers eager to display their fancy dress costumes. Although most will travel across the Solent in a boat, there are twelve with other ideas. They intend to swim together for charity!

The hardy twelve will each receive a complimentary ticket to Bestival courtesy of the organisers, for making the fundraising trip. They will be crossing one of the busiest strips of water for shipping in the world. For everyone else it will be business as usual using IOW ferry crossing between Portsmouth and Ryde or Lymington and Yarmouth.

The swimmers are gearing themselves for the start on Friday, which will take them from Stokes Bay to Ryde Pier on the Isle of Wight. The Swim2Bestival event is hoping to raise funds for the Imibala Trust, an African educational trust and the Marie Curie cancer charity. The Imibala Trust, a South African based charity helps to fund education for disadvantaged children. One of the coordinators of the swim, Yasmin Hussein a teacher, worked with the trust earlier in the year, and felt inspired to ‘give something back’. The aim of all the swimmers, who come from all over the UK, is to raise enough money to buy a minibus for the school.

The swim idea has been embraced by Radio One DJ Rob Da Bank, who is heading the Bestival. Not only has he ensured the swimmers will receive their free entry, but he has also allowed them to raise extra money at the Bestival by polishing and cleaning shoes. One of the swimmers was heard to remark: “It’s a crazy way to get to there, but Bestival stirs up crazy ideas. It’s a brilliant little boutique festival.”