A GROUP of students and teachers who swam the English Channel have recognised their success at a celebratory dinner.

The Channel Titan challenge raised £11,500 for the Royal Marine Charity.

A team of seven 13-year-olds, Emma Hounslow, Emily Lawton, Skyla Coate, Ollie Halliday, Imogen Childs, Jonny Cole and Annabelle Lewes, raced a team of Royal Marines, alongside another team of parents and teachers, for 22 miles across the channel.

Their challenge, which was completed in September, was finished in 14 hours and 23 minutes, and they missed beating the marine team by only three minutes.

A dinner was held to celebrate all of the team's achievements in completing the challenge and raising the money for charity.

They were congratulated by The Royal Marines and received messages from the Deputy Commandant General Royal Marines Brigadier Richard Spencer OBE who described the children as “brave and generous”.

Swim organiser and head of geography, Hamish McCarthy, said: "Nothing great is easy is a quote attributed to Captain Webb, the first ever channel swimmer.

"Any channel crossing is a brave challenging endeavour, but what these courageous thirteen-year-old children achieved was simply remarkable.

"Not only did they race The Royal Marines, losing only by three minutes with much of the swim in total darkness, they also raised nearly £12,000 for a much deserving charitable cause.

"I commend them all for achieving something truly great. If it was easy everybody would do it."

Captain John White, an injured marine who lives in the area was on hand to congratulate the children on their achievement and described how the money will be used to help similarly injured marines.

He explained how the charity had supported him recently in a trip to a specialist hospital in the United States of America where he was fitted with new prosthetic legs and an arm, which he was unable to get in the UK. This has enabled him to work and live independently with his young family.

All of the participants were presented with their certificates by Mr McCarthy, a former Officer of Royal Engineers and channel swimmer himself, and Major Jim Lewis the captain of the Royal Marine Team. He praised the children for their fortitude and courage.