Woman to swim around Brownsea Island with a mermaid tail

Elizabeth Mills, from Corfe Mullen, is due to swim the 6.4k route this weekend and will be the first to attempt the swim in a tail and a fin.

The 42-year-old has set the challenge to raise money for Clean Jurassic Coast, an organisation which helps to organise beach cleans.

She has launched a Just Giving page ahead of the swim, which is planned for Sunday 17 July.

Elizabeth said: “My target is £1,000.

"It's such an important cause and really close to my heart as a super keen open water swimmer and nature lover."

Elizabeth’s swim will follow past efforts for the Clean Jurrassic Coast project, including a 96 mile swim around the Jurassic Coast completed by Oly Rush in 2020.

She said: “Oly Rush raised money for the same organisation. He also got the world record last year for swimming around the Isle of Wight in the quickest time, and he’s just got another world record swimming around the Grand Cayman Islands.

"He is actually going to be accompanying me around Brownsea, swimming next to me in the water, so that’ll be quite good. He won’t have a tail on though.

Elizabeth in her mermaid tail.

“People have swum around Brownsea Island but no one has done it as a mermaid. I’ve done it before without my tail on, but not with it yet.”

The idea for the challenge follows years of what Elizabeth calls ‘mermaiding’. She said: “I've been mermaiding for about 3 or 4 years. I try and find different spots along our coastline to swim in with my tail.

"I have an Instagram account where I post the different places to mermaid. I also do mermaid classes for children and adults, and I’ve got a group that come every week. They’re going to come and swim the last bit with me."

Clean Jurrassic Coast have organised a litter pick at Bournemouth Beach to follow the swim. It will be held between 8-9pm on Sunday, the evening of Elizabeth's challenge.

To support Elizabeth visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/elizabeth-mills-mermaid-brownsea-island?utm_term=ypw5vv8ge