British woman dies in charity Channel swim Another friend, Sue King, wrote an hour later: "Getting very nervous now, hope Susan is OK." Ms Taylor attempted the swim on what was an extremely hot day, with a water temperature of 15C. A French police source in Boulogne-sur-Mer said: "She was swimming from Britain and was well supported." Susan Taylor Channel Swimmer from Stuart Ritchie on Vimeo. Posting on the Facebook page later, Ms Taylor's brother, David Wright, wrote: "Whilst attempting to swim the English Channel yesterday my sister Susan collapsed suddenly in the water. Thank you for your messages of support. Please respect the family's privacy whilst they come to terms with what has happened. If you would like to leave a sign of respect please feel free to donate to her fund raising page. A friend of Ms Taylor, who asked not to be named, said: "We are devastated by Susan's death. She was a wonderful person who was determined to swim the Channel so as to help others. Ms Taylor, who was married to Stephen Taylor, 43, had raised almost £4,000 for her chosen charities by today. Donations flooded into her Virgin Money Giving fundrasing page after the news of her death broke, including from those who had never met her. One donor, Liz Hatch, wrote: "So sad to read that this brave, generous and kind lady didn't quite make it. RIP lovely soul. Another, called Paula Baker, said: "My daughter passed away in a children's hospice in January. I know the hard work they do. You did not deserve this. RIP hun xxx. The tragedy brings to eight the number of people who have died trying to swim the Channel since Captain Matthew Webb made the first unassisted swim across the Strait of Dover in 1875. The most recent death until yesterday had been that of Paraic Casey, a 45-year-old member of the Sandycove Swimming Club in Cork, Ireland, on July 21 last year. He became ill less than a mile from the French coast and all attempts to resuscitate him failed. A Foreign Office spokesman said today: "We are aware of the death of a British national in Boulogne on July 14, 2013. We are in touch with the family and are offering consular assistance.