A WILTSHIRE man is to take part in a charity swim in Cornwall in August to raise funds for the cancer charity Marie Curie.

Anthony Oliver, 50, decided to fundraise for the charity after losing his mother Enid Oliver to cancer in 2005 after her struggling with it for many years.

Marie Curie helps people and their families who are struggling with a terminal illness. All the charity’s nursing care and hospices provide free care.

Mr Oliver, of Trowbridge, who works as an employment adviser for Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership, said: “I have close friends affected by long term health conditions so I wanted to do something positive.

“I took up outdoor swimming during the long lockdowns of 2020/21 and decided to enter a charity event. I will be taking part in a charity swim from Padstow to Rock on August 7."

The one-mile open water swim starts at the Sea Cadet slipway in Padstow and finishes across the Camel estuary at Rock, where a Cornish pasty awaits those taking part.

Mr Oliver said: "I have swum all my life but I have only recently taken up outdoor swimming during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns.

"When the local swimming pools closed, I started swimming in the sea. I have been practising in the sea off the Dorset coast.

"I decided I would do a swim for charity and chose Marie Curie because my mother died from cancer in 2005 aged 66.

"I have been training in Bournemouth for the past two to three months, swimming between Bournemouth and Boscombe, pier to pier.

"I will be part of an elite group of around 50 swimmers and will have only half an hour time limit to complete it.

"There will be several hundred non-elite swimmers also taking part, who have to complete the swim in one hour. The charity is making a big event out of it.

"Swimming outdoors is now my new hobby. I have invested in a new wetsuit and hat."

Mr Oliver set an initial target of raising £500 for the charity but has already raised more than £420 plus £57.50 Gift Aid towards his target.

He is now urging others to help change lives by donating to his justgiving page for the charity fundraising appeal.

He said: “£20 pays for one hour of vital nursing care in their own home for someone living with a terminal illness.

“£90 pays for one evening of nursing care at home for someone with a terminal illness, tending to their needs and giving respite to loved ones.

“£180 provides nine hours of nursing support in someone’s home throughout the night, bringing the comfort and expertise families need.”

On its website, Marie Curie says that entries for the non-elite event are closed. A ballot was held in December to determine who would take part.

Those taking part will get a swimming hat and will have a Cornish pasty waiting for them at the finish, along with a Padstow to Rock finishers' t-shirt.

Marie Curie said: "Crossing the Camel Estuary under your own steam will make a real difference. Everything you raise will help our Marie Curie Nurses care for more people living with a terminal illness and their families."

To donate, go to Marie Curie Ant Oliver Charity Swim