Thank you for visiting my page. I retired in 2016 as Professor in paediatric cardiac anaesthesia and intensive care at the Bristol Royal Children's Hospital where I had worked for over 25years. After retirement I became an Ambassador for the Bristol Children's Hospital Grand Appeal, When Covid struck in 2020, I returned to help out in clinical work although still trying to take on some fundraising through a variety of projects. Finally in 2022, I have stopped work again and gone back to helping the Grand Appeal that supports the amazing work of the Bristol Royal Children's Hospital that cares for the Children of Bristol, the South West, Wales and beyond.

In 2018, I took on the challenge of a solo swim of the English Channel for Bristol Royal Children's Hospital. This historic swim of 21miles in cool seawater with the odd jellyfish took me 12hrs and 42 minutes to complete and I became the oldest successful English Channel swimmer in 2018. The funds we raised from this challenge helped to establish a groundbreaking 3D Cardiac Bioprinting service at Bristol Royal Children's Hospital which has been able to help hundreds of children from the South West each year. 

In 2021, during the pandemic, I continued with the fund raising challenges of swimming the Bristol Channel and attempting the 24 mile swim up Loch Ness in 12DegC which had only been achieved by 23 other people. The swim across the Bristol Channel went well and was completed in under 6hrs in brilliant sunshine. My longer, colder swim up loch Ness was not so pleasant: windy, cold and daunting. Swimming in just swimming trunks in cold fresh water is not easy and after 18 miles and 12 hours just near Castle Urquhart I sank!  Sometimes it is just not your day and I learnt from this difficult experience. Now with longer to train after the troubles of Covid, a new coach and a better understanding of fresh water swimming I will return to Loch Ness in August 2023 to swim to the end and raise much needed funds for the Grand Appeal.

While over 2,000 people have swum the English channel, less than 30 people have achieved the 24 mile swim of loch Ness from Ford Augusta to Lochend. This is because the water is both cold and fresh (reducing buoyancy and requiring greater effort to stay on the surface). This British Long Distance Swimming Association challenge requires the swimmer to swim in just swim trunks, goggles and hat offering no protection from the cold. The water temperature can be a low as 8DegC even in July and is 800m deep in parts, giving Nessie good places to hide! I swam a relay up the loch in August 2019 and the most notable findings were how dark the water is and how bone-chillingly cold it is even in high summer. Preparatory training consists of regular ice swims in water of under 8degC in the winter and then long swims of 6 hours and more as I get closer to the swim date in August 2023.

Once again I will be supported by an amazing crew on my pilot boat who will feed me and throw me hot drinks to keep me going throughout the 12 to 14 hour swim. While, I am not allowed to touch the boat once I start, I will be uplifted by the support from my crew and the on-line support through Grand Appeal and social media, which is a great boost. Also, knowing that I am continuing to raise money as I go through the inevitable difficult parts of the swim is an amazing feeling to help me to stay positive and take the swim and the fundraising to a successful conclusion.

I do hope you can make a donation. Every pound will go towards helping transform our Emergency Department to care for our children and their families as it develops ov