British Woman Dies During English Channel Charity Swim: Susan Taylor 'Suddenly Collapsed' One Mile From Shore

A woman has died while trying to swim across the English Channel for charity, according to the BBC.

Media reports did not give a cause of death. A photo of the swim posted earlier Sunday showed calm waters in the channel.

Susan Taylor, 34, from Leicestershire, died in Boulogne on Sunday after she "suddenly collapsed" on the final part of the challenge. She was doing the 21-mile (34km) endurance test to raise money for Rainbows Hospice in Loughborough and Diabetes UK.

Her father, Arthur Wright, said he had lost "the best person in the whole world".

In a statement released through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the family confirmed an earlier report Ms Taylor had "suddenly collapsed" as she approached the French coast.

Mr Wright revealed his paramedic son David, Ms Taylor's brother, was on the boat at the time of the swim and battled to save her life.

"David was with her and he was the paramedic, he tried to help. He pulled her on to the boat."

Mr Wright said his daughter was then airlifted to hospital, where she died.

In the statement, the family said: "Susan was an experienced long-distance swimmer and had prepared tirelessly for the challenge.

"Susan's family are grateful for all the messages of support they have received but would now ask for privacy to come to terms with this tragic event."

"Susan took great pride in her fundraising for some amazing charities and we would like her sacrifice to be recognised in the only way she would have wanted," the statement said.

Ms Taylor was swimming under the guidance of the Channel Swimming Association - which officially authorizes crossing attempts - when she got into difficulty near the French coast at about 17:30 local time.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirmed it was providing her family with consular assistance.

Ms Taylor's neighbor, David Kitto said: "I'm just gobsmacked. She was a truly lovely girl and this is an absolute tragedy.

"She was a confident person anyway. She had a real presence about her. She was not a shrinking violet but nor was she hogging the front pages all the time.

"She was a very good swimmer; you used to see her going up and down in the fast lane at the pool and all the staff there knew her and got to know what she was doing."

She gave up her full time job as a chartered accountant to dedicate more time to training and often swam for up to six hours a day.
The idea of first swimming the Channel came to her as a child.

She said: "A lady said to me, when I was going to a swimming gala, would you swim the Channel when you're older? I can remember looking up to the old lady and saying 'yes I would'.

"For some reason I decided I hadn't achieved that goal so I decided to charter a boat and swim the Channel." "I'm quite a determined person so when I decided to do it I do what I say I'm going to do," she added.