A former Commanding Officer of HMS Raleigh is set to lead a 30-mile swim locally in open water, to raise money for three charities.

Commodore Laurie Brokenshire, his wife and family will be setting off collectively on a 30-mile swim from Fowey to Plymouth on Saturday,August 6.

The 63-year-old has recently been diagnosed as having inoperable, rapidly terminal brain cancer, so will be raising money to support Macmillan Cancer Support, Christian Vision for Men and Care For The Family.

A former Royal Navy swimmer, Cdre Brokenshire now lives in Stubbington and swims a mile in the Solent nearly every day. In his younger days, growing up in Plymouth, he was a member of the Port of Plymouth Swimming Association and took part in the Breakwater Swim, as did two of his children.

He said: ’It’ll be 30 years since I completed my solo Channel swim, so we will be swimming 30 miles, trying to raise a lot of money, hopefully the final figure will contain a three and a zero – 30K perhaps! In total there are eight members of the family taking part here: myself, my wife Ethel, our children Sarah, Matthew and Phillip and their spouses Bobby, Chloe and Rosalie. Some of the grandchildren, or Grandelfs as I like to call them, might also take a brief dip, they’re all three or under, and two other family members, Rachel and Craig, will take to the water in South Africa to add to the mileage.’

The swim is being generously supported by Royal Marines Tamar and will start at Fowey Harbour at dawn. The family hope to reach Plymouth before sunset.

Cdre Brokenshire was Commodore of HMS Raleigh from 2000 to 2003.

Anyone wishing to support Cdre Brokenshire and his family can do so online by