A man from Abbots Langley will be taking part in the biggest charity swim in Europe next month to support a charity close to his heart.

Braving the English Channel to swim 1.4 miles of open water, Stuart Dean, 41, of Shirley Road, along with his cousin Andrea Barclay, 41, from Guilsborough in Northamptonshire, will be taking on the challenge of swimming from Bournemouth to Boscombe Pier to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.

Mr Dean said: "Both my cousin and I are sporty types and have always been into fitness and outdoor activities.

"We have completed quite a few events in the past but not attempted an open water swim before so this presented a challenge.

"This appealed to us both as this is one of many events co-ordinated by the British Heart Foundation".

Although the cousins enjoy the sense of achievement in completing physical challenges, Mr Dean wants to give back to the charity that helped him just two years ago.

On the day of his 38th birthday in 2013, after suffering chest pains for a number of months while out running, Mr Dean was diagnosed with heart disease.

The same year he had a heart stent fitted.

He said: "There is a strong genetic link with heart related illness within our family.

"This op was literally life changing as it has allowed me to exercise as before and without the research that organisations such as the BHF provide, life would be very different for me, and for so many others.

"There are so many people entering events and raising money for charity these days, which is obviously fantastic although I’m sure most of us now suffer from charity fatigue, but following my problems his was an opportunity was too important to miss."

The cousins are yet to do any outdoor swims but do enjoy swimming and have been training every Tuesday night at Woodside Leisure centre in Watford as part of a triathlon training session.

Both Mr Dean and Mr Barclay were hoping to raise £200 for the charity to fund its life saving research but have currently raised £375.

To donate to their cause, visit https://www.justgiving.com/andrea-barclay.