A MUM found herself sharing the water with a P&O ferry as she swam the English Channel as part of a six-strong relay team.

Carol Lord and her five teammates covered the 21 miles between Dover and the French coast in 14 hours and six minutes.

The swimmers, who named themselves Dover Souls-Team Delta, swam for an hour each in rotation until they reached the beach at Wissant.

It was Mrs Lord’s team mate Heather Walmsley, who swam the last stretch to complete the sextet’s incredible challenge.

The 52-year-old from Sharples, said: “It was a fantastic experience, it was the hardest thing I have ever done, but when we saw Heather standing on the beach in France, it was an amazing feeling, surreal. It was like the reality of ‘oh my god, we have just swam to France, we have just swam the channel!”

“As soon as she stood up we said ‘oh my god she has done it and we all burst into tears.”

Talking about the stunning picture of her swimming the channel while a ferry looms behind her she said: “It’s the classic shot that a channel swimmer wants and dreams of—to be swimming with your high elbow, it’s brilliant and I have got it.”

Mrs Lord, who swam two hour-long stints suffered badly with seasickness while waiting her turn on the boat but was determined to continue.

“You don’t let your teammates down,” she said.

Mrs Lord - nicknamed Dory by swimming pals - and her teammates names will be recorded by the Channel Swimming Association.

Back at home she had a hero’s welcome from husband Tom, aged 58, and daughter Lucy, aged 23, who greeted her with ‘congratulations’ banners and balloons.

Mrs Lord was swimming to raise money for Parkinson’s UK in memory of her beloved late father Geoffrey Bowes, who instilled a love of the sport in her as a child.

Mr Bowes, who served as a firefighter, battled Parkinson’s for 17 years.

Mrs Lord said: “It was an awful shock to him, my dad was a very dignified man, very hard working, he saved thousands of lives, he was a hero.”

She added: “I know he swims at the side of me. Every time I got for a swim I kiss his picture and say ‘come on dad, let’s go for a swim, love’.

To donate visit justgiving.com/fundraising/dorylordy