Jane Askham, the new swimming co-ordinator at Chichester's Westgate leisure centre, would have had a cast-iron excuse for being late on her first day.
She finished a cross-Channel relay swim just a few hours before taking up her job with Chichester District Council.
Jane was one of a team of six who swam overnight to complete the crossing.
Concerned that she would be delayed, she bought a tem
porary Westgate 'uniform' in Dover in case time ran out on her.
The swim took months of planning and preparation, including long open-water training sessions and night swims.
Some of the highlights along the way included getting wrapped in seaweed, being used as an 'obstacle course' by leaping fish, and narrowly avoiding ships in mid-Channel.
Jane said: "We started at 10pm on a Saturday, and completed the relay in 13hr 35min.
"I really enjoyed the experience. The sea conditions were ideal, and I was pleased with the time, especially as we beat a rival team."
Westgate manager Kevin McCoy said: "We are fortunate to have experienced and skilled staff at Westgate, and Jane is a very welcome addition.
"She has a great knowledge of her subject, something which I'm sure will benefit swimmers and non-swimmers of all ages as Jane develops our aquatic programme."
What do you think? Click here to send a letter or leave a comment below.
Click here to go back to Chichester news
Click here to go back to Bognor Regis news
Click here to go back to Midhurst and Petworth news
To tell us where in the world you are reading this story click on the link below to add yourself to our readers' map.
MAP
The full article contains 290 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
