Jenny James (swimmer)
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1927 Pontypridd, Wales |
| Died | October 24, 2014 (aged 86–87) Porth, Rhondda, Wales |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Swimming |
Jenny Eileen James (1927 - 24 October 2014) was the first Welsh person to swim the English Channel.
Born in Pontypridd in 1927, she learned to swim aged 7 in the Pontypridd Swimming Baths. (The Baths reopened in 2015 as the Pontypridd Outdoor Lido, now the National Lido of Wales). On 19 September 1949 she swam from Penarth to Weston-super-Mare, and then made the swim in the reverse direction on 9 July 1950,[1] so becoming the first woman to swim the Bristol Channel both ways.[2] On 16 August 1951 she competed in the Second Daily Mail Cross Channel Race,[3] and became the first Welsh person to swim the English Channel, crossing from France to England in 13 hours 55 minutes.[2] She received an official homecoming on her return to Pontypridd.[4] She was granted the freedom of Pontypridd in recognition of her achievement, and free entrance for life to any swimming pool in Wales.[2] She became the women's record holder for her swim of Windermere in 1958.[5]
She worked as a swimming coach and lifeguard at the Pontypridd Baths, and is credited as having saved more than 100 lives in her career. She is commemorated at the Lido,[6] where a plaque has been erected in her honour.[7]
James died at a care home in Porth, Rhondda on 24 October 2014. She was unmarried.[2][8]
References
- ^ "Bristol Channel swims". LongswimsDB. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Jenny James: First Welsh person to swim the channel dies". BBC News. 31 October 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
- ^ "The Second Daily Mail Cross Channel Race". Dover Museum – Channel Swimmers. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
- ^ "Official homecoming". People’s Collection Wales. Archived from the original on 6 October 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ "Loch Lomond Championship" (PDF). British Long Distance Swimming Association. August 1959. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ "Heritage". Lido Ponty. Rhondda Cynon Taf CBC. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
- ^ "Plaque for first Welsh person to swim English Channel". BBC News. 19 July 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
- ^ Tegeltija, Sam (2014-10-30). "The first Welsh woman to swim across the English channel, Jenny James, dies at the age of 87". WalesOnline. Retrieved 2023-09-30.