Colin Bycroft, of Frog Hall, will be part of a four-man team raising funds for the Parkinson's Disease Society (PDS) and Cancer Research UK when he attempts to swim hour-long sections of the gruelling 21-mile Channel.

The swim will start from Dover and finish in Cape Gris Nez with each team member swimming for an hour at a time.

They will have to grapple with temperatures as low as 11.5degC and face potential hypothermia with the whole trip expected to take around 13 hours.

Mr Bycroft said he had wanted to do a solo swim of the Channel, but was unable to cope with the conditions. To qualify for a solo, the swimmer has to complete a qualifying swim of six hours in water temperatures below 15.5degC, but Mr Bycroft was only able to manage three-and-a-half hours.

He said: "I am getting quite nervous as it happens. It is my 50th birthday on, Saturday, August 25, so I am hoping we will swim on that day. It would be quite a birthday present."

He added he wanted to raise money for Parkinson's because his father had died of the condition and for Cancer Research because four of his friends had been diagnosed with the condition last year.

He has received support from his wife, Birgett Wilson, and their 14-year-old son Alex, who goes to Sponne School.

More information on Mr Bycroft's challenge can be found at www.justgiving.com/colinbycroft2 or by emailing colinb333@hotmail.com.