Bakery boss in Dunfermline rises to cross channel swim

Talia Sarafilovic, a joint managing director at the firm, was part of a team of four who braved the conditions, tides and even jellyfish to finish the amazing relay feat in less than 13 hours.

The keen swimmer, along with friends Sarah Silk, Poppy Foster and Helena Richardson, left the Kent coast at 4am and, swimming for an hour at a time, smashed their 14 hour target, arrived on the French shore 12 hours and 20 minutes later.

Their combined efforts have already raised over £5,700 for the Stephens Foundation which recently reached the milestone of donating £250,000 to local good causes since it began.

The Rolling on the Waves team celebrate their cross channel swim. (Image: Contributed)

"It was epic – it was the best day ever," said Talia. "We were really lucky with the conditions. Everyone was on form and we go so lucky. Having seen the first two swimmers go, our pilot took a gamble that we could all keep our strength against the tide so took a shorter, more direct route.

"We did it a lot quicker than we thought we would. We were the first boat of the day. The first swimmer was in the water at 4am. Our training for it stood us in good stead because none of us struggled that much with the cold. It was still very, very cold – your hands stop working – but the prep we had done meant all our bodies could tolerate it.

"When you come out you cannot stop shaking for half an hour.

"My first swim, I had hundreds of jellyfish and was very cold. The second swim was great conditions, it was perfectly sunny and I could focus on swimming.

"The last one was a battle because we were trying so hard. That was the hardest as I had to push myself and thankfully it paid off."

Talia swimming one of her legs of the Cross channel swim. (Image: Contributed)

After each swim, Talia and her teammates had three hours of recovery until their turn came round again.

"Three hours sounds like a very long time but it goes so quickly," she explained. "You cannot do anything for the first half an hour and the support crew help dress you, give you hot drinks then you take on food throughout the day. You might get your head down or 45 minutes to an hour. You don't really sleep but you get some rest."

With news of other swimmers that day having to give up, the team, titled Rolling On the Waves, were nervous but determined to finish their mission.

"Halfway into the swim, we heard four boats had already aborted so it is very tense when you hear these things. As soon as one person gets sea sick or too cold, it is called off so you don't take any point for granted "I was the last hour then one of the girls did 20 minutes to end it. The whole time I was not sure if we would get it in the time so it was on a knife edge.

The route taken by the Rolling on the Waves team. (Image: Contributed)

"We were completely over the moon. It was an incredible experience."

Helping the Stephens Foundation provided an added reason for success for Talia who has seen the work it has already carried out to help benefit children, community organizations, and individuals facing financial hardships.

"Our core mission at the Stephens Foundation is to contribute positively to our local communities," she explained. "The foundation is funded by donations from the public, fundraising by our staff, and predominantly supported by Stephens Bakery itself.

"The foundation is managed by a board of trustees, the foundation itself has no outgoing costs apart from donating to local causes, which means every penny raised goes directly to helping people, as all costs incurred by the foundation are covered by Stephens Bakery.

"As Joint MD, I wanted to do something to celebrate the foundation and hopefully get more donations in."

Anyone wanting to help boost Talia's fundraising total can do so here.