A team of seven swimmers, from The University of Nottingham, are all set for the ultimate challenge of a lifetime as they prepare to swim the English Channel.

The students will swim a total of 72 miles, starting 24 June to raise £10,000 for Teenage Cancer Trust, after one of the their team member’s friend’s was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia at just 12 years old. The money raised will help transform the lives of young people with cancer across the East Midlands.

The team – Joshua Harridine, 21, Alex Thurston, 35, James Bull, 20, Alex Kirtley, 20, Mary Heartshorne, 22, Hayden Ball, 20 and Rebecca Dutfield, 19 (reserve swimmer), are setting off from Dover Harbour and will be swimming into Cap Gris Nex in Northern France, they will then start the swim back again immediately. Their week-long challenge is expected to take around 26 hours to complete, with swimmers on rotation every hour.

Medical student, Josh Harridine, said: “It was inspiring for me to see a friend meet the huge challenge of cancer with such strength and courage. When we were planning the swim months ago, we wanted to pick a charity that was close to our hearts and that was Teenage Cancer Trust. From the whole squad it goes without saying we are beyond proud to represent our friend and Teenage Cancer Trust.”