Man aims to swim around Isle of Man to support charity

David Higson said sea-swimming had become his "therapy" after his son's death

A man who took up sea swimming after his son took his own life has set himself the challenge of swimming around the Isle of Man.

David Higson said he hoped to complete the 96-mile (154km) swim in August and expected it to take five to seven days.

He said since his son Martin's death in 2018, he had found comfort in sea swimming, adding that it was "like my therapy [and] it calms me".

He added that he hoped his efforts would raise £5,000 for suicide prevention charity Isle Stand Up to Suicide.

Mr Higson said losing his son had been "devastating" and had changed his life's "direction".

He has since set up a bereavement peer support group, volunteered for grief support charity Cruse Bereavement and assisted in the development of the government's suicide prevention strategy.

"Losing Martin has given me resilience to carry on with life," he said.

"I think 'if I got through the loss of my son, I can get through anything' and this is just swimming."

Mr Higson said his son Martin's death changed his life's "direction"

Mr Higson said he would take on the challenge in six-hour stints, so he could swim with the tide and "get a tow from the sea".

However, he has stressed it would be weather-dependent and would need up to a week of clear skies and winds under 10mph (16km/h) for it to go ahead.

He said he took on a similar challenge alongside friend Marc Purcell but due to weather, it had taken 25 stages and 14 months to finally complete it in August 2023.

In his next challenge, he will be swimming alone, with no support from kayakers or paddleboarders, and towing all his equipment, which weighs about 220lb (100kg).