A FUNDRAISING swimmer is set to make a big splash for Brighter Futures as he takes on a mammoth challenge at Nuffield Gym next Monday.

Moredon man Harry Coates will take to the pool to swim 30km to raise funds for the radiotherapy appeal, and he’s ready and raring to go.

Harry, who works in IT, said: “I’m an alright swimmer – not fantastic. Hopefully it will be something a little bit different from the half marathon or marathon.”

Inspired by the British Heart Foundation’s scheme in March last year that encouraged people to swim the length of the Channel throughout the month, Harry wanted to take it a step further.

“I thought that was brilliant, but I wanted to do it all in one day if I could,” he said.

He estimates that it would take around 15 hours to swim the length of the Channel. But due to Nuffield not being open for that amount of time, Harry thought he’d aim for 30k instead, as he could do that in a more suitable time.

He said: “Although I might not be great at swimming, it’s something I can do. Trying to swim 30k in a single day seemed like a great challenge and it will tie in for me personally as I’ll turn 30 three days after the swim, so 1,000m for every year.”

Harry’s dad went had leukemia when Harry was a teenager and it’s having first-hand knowledge of what people have to endure that has spurred him on to raise as much as he can for the radiotherapy appeal.

The 29-year-old said: “It makes you realise that a big town like Swindon should have these services on people’s doorsteps. Having to make that journey to Oxford for radiotherapy treatment every day is quite a big effort. Then you have to go through huge emotional and physical challenges. It’s this that makes me want to support cancer and leukemia charities.”

Looking ahead to the punishing swimathon, he said: “I will be pushing myself towards my limits voluntarily, while other people don’t have a choice to be pushed to theirs.

“It’s a bit daunting as it gets closer. I’m relatively fit, so I should be ok – though it’s a big endurance challenge.

“I have always enjoyed swimming. I started getting back into it properly about two years ago when I began training for triathlons and competitive sports. The plan is to complete the challenge on Monday with about 11 or 12 hours of swimming time.

“Hopefully I can get lots of support for this great cause so it can start making a difference sooner.”

For those people inspired by Harry’s heroic example, Brighter Futures has a whole host of physical and mental challenges planned for the year ahead.

Whether it’s the Superhero Run in May or the Yorkshire Three Peaks Weekend in July, there’s plenty to do.

So far £1,375,788 has been raised for Brighter Futures. The team is very grateful for every single donation and wish to thank everyone for their support. To donate you can send cut out and send in the attached form or log on to www.brighterfuturesgwh.nhs.uk.

For more info on the gym, log on to www.nuffieldhealth.com/gyms/swindon.