Meet Mountbatten Isle of Wight fundraiser planning to swim England's largest lake

This Father's Day (15 June), in memory of his dad, Jack Holmes, 28, will take on the Arla Great North Swim, to raise money for Mountbatten Isle of Wight.

Jack will swim 10k across beautiful Lake Windermere, in the Lake District — the equivalent of over six miles and the official open water Olympic distance.

After he was diagnosed with aggressive brain cancer in July 2018, Jack's father, Chris Holmes, was cared for by Mountbatten Isle of Wight's inpatient unit staff.

Donate via Jack's fundraising page: CLICK HERE to sponsor Jack

Work by our charity's community nurses and care at home specialists meant Chris was able to return home, where he died in December 2018.

"I've always been a swimmer. I'm a real water baby," said osteopath, Jack.

"There's a calming isolation to being a wild swimmer. It's the opposite of being claustrophobic."

Photo: Above, Jack Holmes and below, Jack's dad, Chris.

A man in a stripey shirt smiling

How to donate and support Jack Homles's Lake Windermere swim for Mountbatten Isle of Wight

Donate via Jack's fundraising page: CLICK HERE to sponsor Jack

Mountbatten is funded largely by donations, with only a third of our funding coming from the NHS. Without the support of Island families like Jack's, we would not be able to provide expert care and support 24/7, in homes across the Island and in our inpatient unit, to those who need it.

A man in a wetsuit in the sea

Chris also loved watersports and was a keen water skier.

Jack meanwhile, has twice swum The Solent, from Hurst Castle and from Ryde, as well as completing an eight kilometre challenge along the River Arun, in Sussex.

On swimming The Solent, Jack recalls: "I remember seeing nothing because it's so deep. Then you start to see the sand again. I thought, 'I've done it!'"

With support of his mum and brother, Jack has been building up to swimming 'something significant' in his dad's memory.

He said: "The night before a challenge, you lay everything out and check you have everything.

"The preparation is really motivational and it feels like you're achieving something really great."

The Arla Great North Swim is the UK’s biggest open water swimming event and its quite a feat given Jack only got into swimming in 2020.

Jack says it's the largest challenge he’s undertaken by some margin since then, but he’ll be thinking of his dad all the way:

Jack added, “The support my family, received from the staff and volunteers at Mountbatten Isle of Wight, during our most vulnerable and difficult time, was invaluable. Their kindness, compassion, and dedication made all the difference and now I want to give back.”