36-hour charity swim to be held in memory of Black Country firefighter who died in fundraising Channel swim

Iain Hughes, who was formerly based at Wednesbury fire station, was swimming to raise money for charity when he died in June of 2023.

He set off from the Kent coast on the morning of June 20 accompanied by a support boat, but went missing later that day in French water.

The disappearance of the 42-year-old father-of-two sparked an extensive search by French and Belgian authorities which was later called off.

That July, the West Midlands Fire Service announced that the firefighter's body had been found in waters off the coast of Belgium.

Now, fellow firefighters and friends will take part in a marathon swim in memory of Mr Hughes.

The event will also help raise funds for The Fire Fighters Charity, which supports firefighters across the UK and was one of the organisations Iain had hoped to raise money for when he set off on his English Channel swim.

The swim will be held on Friday (May 16) and Saturday (May 17) at David Lloyd Clubs in Brierley Hill, where Iain reportedly used to train, and will see participants set off every hour for 36 hours with the aim to swim as many lengths as they can.

In a post to an online fundraising page set up for the charity swim, the West Midlands Fire Service said: "It doesn't matter how many or how fast, we just want everyone to join in and enjoy themselves doing something Iain was so passionate about.

"All the money raised will collectively go [towards] funding a project at one of the charity's three rehabilitation centres.

"These are used to help serving and retired firefighters, and their families, recover for injuries and illnesses, whether they be physical or mental. The project will be dedicated to Iain's memory."

People can support the marathon swim by visiting the JustGiving fundraising page at justgiving.com/page/west-mids-fire-service-1735220742535