Friends of a British woman who died  swimming the English Channel for charity soon realised something had gone wrong when her online progress tracker stopped updating.

Susan Taylor, 34, collapsed suddenly as she neared the end of her 21-mile swim yesterday.

Mrs Taylor, from Barwell, Leicestershire, was airlifted to a French hospital where she died.

Friends were following her progress on her Facebook and leaving encouraging comments for her support team to pass on when they noticed the tracker had paused.

About 6pm, one friend wrote: ‘The track has had a blip I hope…’ before adding: ‘Now I am concerned. Two points showing travel as fast as a boat… Oh Susan I do hope everything is ok.’

An hour later, another added: ‘Getting very nervous now, hope Susan is OK.’

Concerned friends added messages and continued to show support for Mrs Taylor while pleading for information.

‘Hope all is ok??? Tracker has stopped!!! Susan you are a star xxx,’ one wrote while another added: ‘Can’t get update but you are an amazing athlete & fund-raiser no matter what. Good on you Susan x x’

Mrs Taylor, who ran her own accountancy firm, was just a mile from the coast of France when she became ill on Sunday afternoon.

A French Navy helicopter flew her to hospital in Boulogne-sur-Mer but she was declared dead at around 7pm.

She had set off from the UK in the early hours of Sunday morning and was raising money for Diabetes UK and the Rainbows Children’s Hospice in Loughborough.

Mrs Taylor was swimming alongside a support boat and had temporarily given up work to train for the gruelling swim across one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.

During the swim Ms Taylor’s support team posted pictures of her progress on Facebook friends and asked for messages to help cheer her on

Ms Taylor set off from Samphire Hoe, near Dover, at 1am on Sunday morning and was airlifted by the French navy near Cap Gris-Nez 16 hours later

But as she entered Wissant Bay, near Cap Gris-Nez, she got into ‘serious difficulty’, said a French police source.

Mrs Taylor’s support crew requested a defibrillator by radio, and the French Navy evacuated her to hospital in Boulogne.

‘She was swimming from Britain, and was well supported,’ said the police source in Boulogne-sur-Mer, who said the emergency call was made soon after 5pm.

Today, her sister wrote on the Facebook page: ‘Whilst attempting to swim the English Channel yesterday my sister, Susan collapsed suddenly in the water.

‘She was immediately recovered from the water and treated on the support boat. She was then air lifted by helicopter to a hospital in Boulogne.

‘Susan tragically passed away. Thank you for your messages of support.

‘If you would like to leave a sign of respect please feel free to donate to her fund raising page.’

As news of her death spread, wellwishers began to give money in Mrs Taylor’s memory in addition to the £2,700 she had already raised.

More than £6,000 has been given on her Virgin Money Giving page for Rainbows, which relies almost entirely on donations, and Diabetes UK.

Ms Taylor’s progress team posted this picture during her swim, writing: ‘Easy way versus the hard way!!!!! Susan definitely deserves the easy way next time!!! She’s doing fab :)’

Ms Taylor, from Barwell, Leicestershire, ran her own accountancy firm and had temporarily given up work to train for the swim

Geoff Ellis, Rainbows chief executive, said: ‘Susan was a wonderful woman who would do anything for anybody.

‘She has been a much loved ambassador at Rainbows for over two years, helping out at events and tirelessly fundraising for us.

‘She was more than an ambassador; she was part of the Rainbows family.

‘Susan was totally dedicated to Rainbows, even taking time off from her career to devote more efforts to her fundraising.

‘She was really looking forward to taking part in her challenge and we are all so proud of what she achieved.

‘All of the children, young people, families, staff and volunteers at Rainbows are devastated and our thoughts and prayers go out to her family.

‘She will be sadly missed.’

Mrs Taylor had set off at about 1am on Sunday from Samphire Hoe near Dover and was covered in goose fat in preparation for a swim of around 15 hours.

It was an extremely hot day with the water temperature at 15C.

Before the swim, Mrs Taylor had told the Hinckley Times: ‘I used to be with the St John Ambulance and I met a woman who said to me “you’ll swim the Channel one day”’.

Kevin Murphy, secretary of the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation, which authorises attempts to cross the water, said: ‘It is incredibly sad. People in our organisation knew her.

‘She had been our friend on the beach training in Dover and everyone’s cut up about it because she was such a lovely, nice lady.’

British officials had authorised a number of charity swimmers to cross the Channel on Sunday.

An online map tracking Ms Taylor’s progress appeared to show that her support boat had suddenly sped up and sailed in a different direction towards land

France does not allow such swims to start from its own side of the Channel because of the dangers posed by shipping, as well as dangerous currents and changing weather conditions.

Mr Murphy said: ‘We require medicals signed by a doctor and we both require swims of at least six hours before we will register anyone to swim the Channel.

‘It’s an extreme sport. We know it’s an extreme sport but its safety record is second to none.’

Until yesterday, only seven people had died since Captain Matthew Webb made the first unassisted swim across the Strait of Dover in 1875.

Cap Gris-Nez, pictured, traditionally marks the finish point for swimmers attempting the crossing

The last swimmer to die before Mrs Taylor was Paraic Casey, a 45-year-old member of the Sandycove Swimming Club in Cork, Ireland, almost exactly a year ago, on July 21 2012.

Like Ms Taylor, Mr Casey became ill less than a mile from the French coast, and all attempts to resuscitate him failed.

A friend of Mrs Taylor, who asked not to be named, said today: ‘We are devastated by Susan’s death. She was a wonderful person who was determined to swim the Channel so as to help others.’
Read more: Daily Mail