A man from Lyme Regis swam the English Channel in less than 11 hours to raise money for charity.

Harry Nelson, 39, of Lyme Regis, has raised £7,100 for the charity MIND and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

He took on the challenge of swimming just over 24 miles and completed the swim in 10 hours and 58 minutes.

Harry has always been a keen swimmer, surfer and kite surfer and spends a lot of his time on the water and has always supported the RNLI.

He said: “They volunteer whatever the weather, sea conditions and time of day to keep you and me safe around the UK coastline.”

The mental health charity MIND was Harry’s other choice to fundraise for and is a charity he holds very close to his heart.

He sadly lost his older brother Sam in 2020, who struggled for years with mental health issues but was always very vocal about the help he received from MIND.

Harry added: “The aches and pains have now gone and I’m feeling pretty much back to normal.

“It’s weird not having to think about training or ‘the swim’, but certainly nice not to have it weighing me down as well.

“I’m unbelievably grateful for all of the support I’ve received, I take great pride in knowing the money I’ve raised is going to two lifesaving charities.”

Gemma Baker, RNLI community manager for the Lyme Regis Area, said: “It cost £188M to run the RNLI’s lifesaving service in 2022. 

"The RNLI relies on donations to function, and without fundraisers like Harry we would not be able to continue saving lives at sea.

“Every penny and pound the RNLI receives really does count and we’re hugely grateful to Harry for choosing to fundraise for us. All the money he’s raised will go towards saving lives.”

You can still donate towards Harry’s fundraiser by visiting his JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/team/harrysolochannelswim

To donate to the RNLI, please visit www.rnli.org/support-us/give-money/donate