LOCAL NEWS: Salisbury swimmer to cross channel for Julia’s House

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A father of two from Salisbury will make his second attempt to swim the English Channel this week in aid of Julia’s House.

Jon Tribbeck will set off on his challenge this week to raise more funds for Julia’s House, the Dorset and Wiltshire children’s hospice charity.

In his first attempt to swim the 35km crossing of the channel in 2016, Jon raised over £3000 for Julia’s House. However, his swim was cut short when he was pulled from the water off the French coast after 12.5 hours. 

Jon had developed Swimming Induced Pulmonary EDEMA (SIPE), a condition where fluid from the body enters the lungs. As a result, he was airlifted to Ashford Hospital for emergency treatment after his oxygen saturation levels became dangerously low.

Despite this traumatic experience, Jon is determined to fulfil his ambition of swimming the Channel this year, after two years of training.

He is philosophical about being forced to abort his first attempt: “It was a great training swim, I learnt one of the ways not to swim to France, and I raised some funds for Julia’s House Children’s Hospice.

“So having eventually accepted my situation I was able to draw on these positives and construct a plan for 2019. Loosely my plan involved becoming better informed about every aspect of training including nutrition and technique.

“I have fantastic support.”

Julia’s House is a local charity dedicated to supporting the families of children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions in Dorset and Wiltshire. It is reliant on public donations, fundraising and legacies for the money needed to run its vital service.

Regarding raising money for Julia’s House, Jon said: “My friends and supporters were very generous in sponsoring me in 2016 and their donations made a real difference to the kids that Julia’s House helps.

“This is why I’ve chosen to swim for them again.”

A spokesperson for Julia’s House said: “Jon has already raised well over £3,000 for Julia’s House and he should be so proud of what he has achieved as we certainly are. We couldn’t thank him enough.”

So far, Jon has raised just over £1000. To sponsor him, visit his JustGiving page here.

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