East Preston man set for his latest charity plunge

But, less than nine months after completing the mammoth swim, East Preston man Steve – aka the Swimming Gardener – will be plunging into the seas yet again to begin his latest charity challenge.

Having already set his fastest time in last month’s annual 5km Swimathon, the 43-year-old will, begin his self-entitled “eight swims of hell” in earnest, this weekend.

He is completed the one-mile Great London Swim, on Saturday (May 26), and then the 10km Dorney Lake swim, in Windsor, the following day – to aid the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Trust.

Steve’s swimming challenge will see him plunge into finger-numbingly cold water at events across the UK, before culminating in a gruelling 10km swim in New York’s Hudson River.

The father-of-two said: “I was supposed to take a break this year, but when I collected my Community Hero award, last November, Arun District Council’s chairman, Dennis Wilde, said ‘I look forward to see what Steve does next’.

“I felt like, ‘well I’ve got to do something big now’. So, here I am.”

Steve, who last year swam the equivalent of the English Channel more than 30 times during training, said he is ready for this week’s task.

Steve hopes to raise as much money for the CF Trust as he can, as it’s a charity very close to his heart.

He said: “The trust has battled for years to help extend and improve the lives of the people born with CF. As we speak, and largely thanks to the wonderful work of many hundreds of people involved with the trust, a gene therapy trial is taking place which could, in future, provide a cure for the condition. I will be funding my trips from my own pocket, meaning all the cash I raise will go straight to charity.”

To support Steve’s efforts click here