TWO friends from Poole made a splash when they swam the English Channel in aid of Dorset Blind Association last month.

Parkstone Chiropractic owner Jason Croucher, 52, teamed up with Mike Alderson, 60, for the gruelling challenge.

The pair met through Beyond the Blue, a local swimming group for all abilities.

Having taken part in various swimming challenges, including relays, previously, Jason and Mike wanted to push themselves one step further.

Jason said: "I've done a six person relay before and I wanted to do it again but go the next step up. Mike was our reserve for the team so we decided to swim the Channel together.

"On Wednesday, June 16 we set off from Folkstone and out of Dover harbour. We swam for 16 hours and 40 minutes. A lot of training went into the swim and we battled through the winter months by swimming in the sea.

"It was cold, and May was the hardest month due to the storms. We were swimming in hard conditions."

Jason and Mike swam in aid of charity Dorset Blind Association, which provides practical and emotional support services for those who have suffered sight loss.

Jason said: "Both of our families have a history of eye issues, and Mike has had an eye operation. We both wanted to do the swim in aid of a local charity, and so far we have raised about £4,100. We didn't think we would get anywhere near that amount.

"Our first goal was £1,000 but I had to move the goalposts about four times as the total kept going up and up.

"This challenge was particularly hard, especially as it was so cold. For a while, it's going to be really, really difficult for that feeling to go, but we'll see what the future brings.

"Our main aim was to raise money and challenge ourselves."