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‘A challenge is meant to be hard’: Meet Nik Banks
Nik, a former RNLI lifeguard, is raising money to save lives at sea – and he’s not afraid of a challenge. Find out about his latest fundraising feat.
Tell me about yourself
I’m Nik. I’m 57, a husband, dad and work as a stores operative. I’ve been an athlete all my life and don’t shy away from a challenge; I did triathlons for 17 years and competed for England. I’ve done ultra marathons (including London to Brighton three times) and I've done three Iron Man triathlons too. I love sea swimming and I live in North Devon, near Croyde.
What inspired you to fundraise for the RNLI?
The RNLI has always been important to me.
I lost my dad at sea when I was 3 years old. He went leisure diving one weekend; he finished work on a Friday, went out on a Saturday and never came back. That’s rubbed off on me, and I’ve never been a risk taker. Even now with my sea swimming, I go out to chest-height water and swim along the beach because I know that I can always stand. There's no reason for me to go out far. I think that's been built into me – why take risks where the water’s involved?
My fundraising is a nod to the RNLI, for taking the time and effort all those years ago to look for Dad. Plus, having worked for them, I'm a strong advocate for them.
I was an RNLI lifeguard in 2006 and 2007. I qualified in Brighton and did a few years there with the council, before moving to North Devon in 2003. Once you're a lifeguard, you’re always a lifeguard. I’ve done a few holiday rescues here and there – I think many other lifeguards have done in the past as well.
A while back, my car broke down, and it made me reflect on how lucky we are to have the RNLI. Luckily, I was in a safe environment – a local car park – but I was still stranded. For that brief moment, I was helpless. I called the AA and when I saw the big yellow truck, I thought: ‘Yes! Here's Andy, he’s come to rescue me’. I had such a sense of euphoria.
If you're in the sea, and you're in trouble, whatever that incident may be, how much euphoria and how much thankfulness will people feel when they see the orange boats of the RNLI turn up?
You don't think anything is going to happen to you. But, when it does, who do you rely on?
Whether it’s educating kids in schools about water safety, RNLI crews rescuing sailors or lifeguards on the beach in the summertime, they’re always there and I’m so grateful.
You can never do enough. I just think it's an amazing service and I love it.
Tell me about your fundraising challenge – what was it and what made it unique and difficult?
My plan was to swim from Lundi Island to Croyde. It’s only been done once before. Because I live locally, and because I love to swim at Croyde (especially if I'm on my own because it’s lifeguarded), I have an affiliation with that beach.
I've travelled out there a few times with the family and often just sat there daydreaming on the boat, thinking: ‘I wonder if….’ Well, then I brought it upon myself to actually try it.
There are quite a few things that make it unique and difficult, from my perspective. Having been a proficient triathlete for many years, I've always been surrounded by like-minded people that love a challenge. But the hardest thing to navigate is the tide. The Bristol Channel has the third biggest tide in the world. That only gives you a small window to complete the swim, and a lot of logistical planning to time the swim with the push of the outgoing tide. Then of course there is the distance – it’s 30km in total.
I had a support boat with me the whole time for safety cover and to keep me on course.
You can watch a video about Nik’s challenge on YouTube.What did your training involve?
I was training 5 days a week – 4 days in the pool and once a week in the sea. I was swimming around 20,000m a week.
Being a father and having full-time job as well, it can be tricky to balance everything. Unfortunately, I'm not a full-time athlete anymore, so I don't have the ability to train loads and then sleep for the rest of the day!
How did the challenge go?
Unfortunately, the conditions got the better of me on the day, and I decided to get out at almost halfway. I still had at least 4 hours left and I was losing time because of the conditions. It was very choppy and making progress was much harder than we’d hoped.
But a challenge is meant to be hard – otherwise it's not a challenge! Initially I was a little bit disappointed – especially waking up feeling so sore the next day. But then a local business donated £4,000, more than doubling my fundraising total so far – that really brought a smile back to my face. Altogether, I’ve raised £6,030.
Will you tackle it again?
Serendipitously, not long after my crossing attempt, a friend called me to say a space had come up on the ‘Lundy Loop’ – a lap swimming around the island for a total of 13km. It felt like the perfect timing – getting in the water with friends, for a manageable distance, back in the place I’d started my last challenge.
It was really good fun – a lovely hot day and perfect sea conditions. It took us just over 4 hours, and we saw loads of seals and puffins! The seals were everywhere and came super close – although they put us lot to shame with their swimming abilities.
Maybe I’ll try the Lundy to Croyde crossing again one day, but for now, I (and my shoulders!) need a good rest.
How do you feel about the money you’ve raised and the difference you’re making?
I’m really proud of the money I’ve raised and so grateful to everyone who made a kind donation.
Completing the challenge was always going to be a bonus; the most important thing to me is knowing that the money I’ve fundraised will go on to save lives at sea.
What would you say to anyone thinking about raising money for the RNLI?
It’s such a fantastic cause – you never know when you or your family will need them, whether it be close to shore, out at sea or near the rocks. They are there, no matter the time of day, to rescue people and save lives.
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