A woman who suffered a spinal injury has completed a 16-hour charity swim.

Hannah Evans completed the challenge at the Aspire Leisure Centre in Stanmore on November 25.

She swam 22 miles, which is the equivalent distance of the English Channel, in just one day to raise funds for Aspire, a UK charity that supports people with spinal cord injuries.

Hannah suffered a fractured spine in a cycling accident in July while training for an Ironman 70.3 triathlon.

(Image: Aspire)

Despite this setback, she decided to partake in the Aspire Channel Swim challenge, initially aiming to complete the 22-mile distance over 12 weeks.

However, she decided to push herself further by swimming the entire distance in one day.

Since the challenge started in September, she has swum a total of 124km.

She said: "I'm fortunate that my accident wasn't more serious, and I wanted to help those who aren't as lucky.

"This challenge was about focusing on what I could do, despite the obstacles."

On November 24, at 9am, Hannah began her swim, completing an astonishing 1,360 lengths, finishing at 3.30am the next day.

With the support of Aspire staff, family, and friends, she has raised over £2,000 for the charity.

Ms Evans expressed her appreciation for the encouragement she received from Aspire, especially from Paul Parrish, director of fundraising and marketing, her family, and the Aspire Leisure Centre team.

Her husband, Sam Handley, also played a crucial role in supporting her throughout the challenge.

Ms Evans attributes her success to a combination of factors, including a dedicated training plan developed with coach Jennie Jones of Tribirdsports Coaching and a meticulous nutrition strategy designed by high-performance nutritionist Claire Fudge of 4th Discipline.

Ms Jones said: "Hannah's achievement is a testament to her determination and resilience.

"This incredible feat shows how mindset and focus can lead to amazing accomplishments.

"Supporting athletes like Hannah through challenges and helping them adapt to setbacks is what I love most about coaching."

Ms Fudge added: "A solid fuelling strategy supports both physical and mental performance.

"There are three things that ensure success: setting goals that almost seem unattainable and exciting, having an ABC plan for fuelling a big event/expedition, and mindset - make sure you can visualise what keeps you going.

"I'm incredibly proud of Hannah for completing her Aspire Channel Swim challenge - an awesome result and comeback from a spinal injury."

Katy Boyd, Aspire Channel Swim manager, said: "Every year amazing swimmers all over the UK go to great lengths for Aspire.

"For Hannah to swim 22 miles in one day is a fantastic achievement."