Four fathers, known collectively as the ‘Devon Daddies’, are preparing to break the world record medley relay swim across the English Channel, while raising funds for local hospice charity, Hospiscare.

After more than two years of intensive training, Nik Haynes, Olly White, Ross Szender and Adam Tapp will enter the waters of the Channel during a five-day window around August 27. The dads will take it in turns to swim their allocated stroke for an hour each time. Each dad will swim for up to three hours, and together attempt to break the current world record of 11 hours and 29 minutes.

They are swimming for Hospiscare in memory of Ross’ mum, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2023 and given one month to live. She received treatment from the charity during her final hours, when there was a disruption to the 999-emergency service and the charity’s community team stepped in.

Ross said: "If we're doing something like this, we're going to do it for a charity and that has to be Hospiscare. The boys know how much my mum's illness affected me and how much I want to give something back.

“We will always be eternally grateful for the lengths Hospiscare went through, for coming out to us in the early hours of Sunday morning and doing that for my mum.

“The work they do is incredible. So many people are going to need Hospiscare’s support – it’s invaluable and essential.”

The four swimmers have been training hard for the Channel. They will swim the shortest route between England and France, from Shakespeare Beach at Folkestone to Cap Gris-Nez.

“With training, work, and family, the challenge has been quite an undertaking. We're all in our 40s now, with knee and shoulder niggles, but we've all been signed off medically fit by a doctor and passed our qualification swims,” smiled Ross.

“When I get tired in the water, I think about what my mum went through and that gives me strength. So many people are struggling with hardship around the world, I think ‘do I really need to complain about a bit of hard work in the sea?’ I think about the bigger picture and, in the words of Finding Nemo, ‘just keep swimming’.”

Ross said all four dads are “goal oriented, love a challenge, and loving the opportunity to do this swim with friends”.

In the dads’ support team is massage therapist Heidi Bell-West, whose great-great-great uncle was Captain Matthew Webb – the first man to swim across the English Channel.

Hospiscare is the local hospice charity for Exeter, central and east Devon, and provides specialist care for more than 2,000 patients and their families every year.

Just 24 per cent of the charity’s funding comes from the NHS, so it depends on the support of the community and fundraisers to provide this care at no cost to its patients and their families.

To support the Devon Daddies' challenge and donate to Hospiscare, visit: https://givestar.io/gs/devon-daddies-cross-channel-relay--world-record-swim.