Keating and Sir Branson to swim the Irish sea for charity

Cancer Research UK’s ‘The Swim’ is a celebrity-led relay challenge where a group of eight swimmers and celebrities will team up with two members of the public to take on the 56-mile stretch between Wales and Ireland, including Ronan Keating and Sir Richard Branson. The gruelling stretch is almost three times the length of the English Channel, several degrees colder, deeper and more treacherous. With tides taken into account, the distance is more likely to be 80 miles, taking an estimated 40 hours in the water. Everyone who raises £100 by 15 July 2011 and can swim more than 3,000m will be entered into the ballot for the two public places on the team, and for this they hope to raise £1million to help fight cancer. Read more here on swimming.org, and visit www.the-swim.co.uk