Littlehampton teen’s epic swim born from hardship

AS A child born with a cleft lip, Nathan Abbott faced years of hardship at the hands of insensitive schoolyard bullies.
By The Newsroom
Published 6th Sep 2013, 12:00 BST
Courageous Nathan, 16, will be pushing himself to the limit to help a childrens charity L36521H13Courageous Nathan, 16, will be pushing himself to the limit to help a childrens charity L36521H13
Courageous Nathan, 16, will be pushing himself to the limit to help a childrens charity L36521H13

His facial deformity meant he struggled to talk, and as a young teenager he was plagued by self-esteem issues and worries about the way he looked – so much so, he left mainstream school when he was 12, to be tutored at home.

But 25 reconstructive operations later, 16-year-old Nathan, of Littlehampton, has discovered a new-found confidence which led him to enrol at St Philip Howard Catholic High School, in Barnham, and complete his GCSEs in impressive fashion this year.

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And tomorrow (Saturday, September 7) he is setting his sights on a gruelling feat of physical endurance, as a way of saying thanks to all those who helped him with his cleft lip and to help other young children cope with the affliction, living in countries less fortunate than the UK.

“I’ve been so lucky to live in a country where these operations are freely available,” explained Nathan. “Some children in third world countries are totally shunned by society if they have a cleft lip. Some are locked in their homes and aren’t allowed to go to school.

“It’s a terrible situation and one I really want to try and make better.”

He will be swimming 15 miles from Littlehampton to Worthing and back in an effort to raise vital cash for children’s charity Smile Train, which fixes cleft lips in third world countries.

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He has been training for many months in the run-up to the event.

However, he feels confident he can reach the distance.

Gruelling

“I discovered swimming when I was being tutored at home,” he explained. “I took it up in my PE lesson.”

He trains for about 20 hours a week, both in the pool, the sea and in the gym to strengthen his body. But Nathan admits this will be more of a mental battle than a physical one.

“I’m looking to try and finish in about eight hours, which is pretty quick. It’s going to be difficult, mentally, because you’re swimming for so long without a real break.

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“But I’ve done lots of training swimming from Goring to Worthing because the tide is strongest there.”

Nathan hopes to raise £3,000 for charity. To sponsor him, visit www.justgiving.com/nathan-abbott or text NEMO50 with the donation amount, to 70070.

Related topics:BarnhamWorthingGCSEs