Dad who hates swimming completes 21-mile challenge for daughter

Steve Wetton began the swim - the equivalent to crossing the English Channel - at the Fresh Fitness Pool at Richmond Holiday Centre on Wednesday at 5pm.

Stopping every mile just to refuel, he completed the task around 5.30pm on Thursday - aiming to raise £10,000 for the JDRF Make a Splash' for type 1 diabetes fund,

After a night's sleep, an exhausted Steve, who before the challenge had never swum more than 10 length and hates swimming, commented : "The finish was really emotional.

"In my darkest moments when I didn't think I could go on, people I didn't even know swam with me and encouraged me to go on.

"Since completing the challenge I've had three massages and still ache all over.

"I worked out I've used 20,759 calories and consumed 5,000, so I'm expecting to have lost some weight."

His daughter and partner Tiffenie were there to support him for the final lengths of the swim.

Steve, a sales manager at Blue Anchor Leisure. said: "We've raised over £5,400 and there's more still to come in. It's all quite overwhelming.

"I'd especially like to thank Fresh Fitness Skegness and all the team at Skegness Triathlon Cub for joining in and all the support and Injury and Sports Therapy for providing sports massage throughout."

Steve explained how he was inspired to take part in the challenge. "On January 16 2019, five days after my beautiful little princesses first birthday, Tahlia was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes," he said.

"Our family’s world was turned upside down! Not knowing anything about this disease, as let’s face it you don’t until you need to know...

"You think it’s something you’ve done; the foods you’ve given them, what tiff eat when she was pregnant etc. etc but the truth is none of this is why. We just simply don't know why....

"I don’t think I’ve had a proper night’s sleep since that day - one, because she is so young and unable to assist herself and two, she can’t tell you how she’s feeling.

"Even though Tahlia has some pretty cool technology to assist with her condition this it’s such a hard disease to get your head round!

"She currently has a monitoring device the size of a kinder egg on 1 bum cheek that lets us know what her blood sugar levels are.

Tahlia also has another device like a mini cassette player linked to a cannula in the other bum cheek.

"We manually put in the amount of carbohydrates she is going to have, it then administers the correct insulin via a pump to counter her blood glucose levels.

"We as "normal" people take for granted our bodies and minds producing insulin when we smell food or get ready for dinner.

"Tahlia is one of the youngest children to be effected by type 1 that Pilgrim Hospital was aware of and their support was outstanding!

"JDRF are constantly looking at ways to improve the lives of people with type 1 and also studying to eradicate this disease once and for all and they are making great headway too!

"Any donation will go toward this vital research into this shitty disease."

To donate to the fund, visit here.