Wolverhampton man dedicating his own English Channel swim to friend - missing swimmer Iain Hughes
A Wolverhampton man is set to swim the English Channel just days after his 70th birthday to raise money for charity - and is dedicating it to his friend Iain Hughes, the Black Country firefighter who went missing during his own Channel attempt.
Lionel Spittle lost his wife of 38 years, Linda, in 2013, just 13 months after she was diagnosed with a grade four glioblastoma brain tumour.
Since then, he has taken part in various sporting feats including completing the "65 Challenge" after his 65th birthday to raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity, having raised nearly £7,000 so far.
Crew manager Iain Hughes, who is based at Wednesbury station as part of the technical rescue unit, began his Channel attempt on Tuesday. He was reported missing later that day and had been accompanied by a support boat.
The search for Mr Hughes, from Dudley, was called off on Thursday and Lionel said: "He is a friend of ours, he was training with us in Dover last month so it's a bit of a wake-up call for us and just reminds us all that these things should not be taken on lightly and not be taken for granted – you have to have respect for the sea.
