Open water race to raise money for cleft palate charity

A swim on Saturday is set to bring a smile to many children's faces '“ quite literally.

By The Newsroom

Published 25th Jul 2017, 15:52 BST

Updated 12th Sep 2017, 11:51 BST

Nathan Abbott during a swim. Picture: Ben Langhorne

Organised by the Freestyle 4 Smile group, the 1.5km open water race will take place at Littlehampton Beach near the East Beach Café starting at 3pm.

It will raise money for the charity Smile Train, which provides children in underdeveloped countries with free cleft lip and palate care.

Nathan Abbott, founder of Freestyle 4 Smile, said: “My aim for this swim is to bring people together to give cleft children in less fortunate countries a chance to smile.”

The 20-year-old was himself born with a cleft lip and palate and has had around 30 reconstructive operations to date. Through his charity work he has completed 15-mile swims, been nominated for young fundraiser awards and met Samantha Cameron at Downing Street.

For more information, visit freestyle4smile.com.

Downing Street