Denny dad David takes the plunge for charity with gruelling North Sea swim

Offshore worker David Rascoe, 44, inspects oil platforms and makes sure they are as safe as possible, but he and friend Lee Edwards, 39, put their own safety in jeopardy when they swam a 7.5 mile stretch of the North Sea from an offshore platform known as the Principality of Sealand to the Suffolk coast at the end of September.

Only a handful of swimmers have completed the swim in the past and, as well as raising over £3400 for spinal injury charity Aspire, the duo were involved in the creation of a new record, with Lee clocking the fastest ever time for the swim – three hours and 24 minutes – despite brutal weather conditions.

“It was touch and go for both of us,” said David. “We were only the 18th and 19th people to ever do this. Lee went the day before in terrible weather and smashed a world record.

"The conditions were a bit more favourable for my swim.”

Born in Boston in the USA, David moved to Scotland in 2000 and now lives in Denny with wife Jacqualine and children Aurelia and Tristan.

He said: "I came across the challenge in a documentary called ‘Escape from Sealand’ where Richard Royal became the first to complete the route in 2018. I wondered

if it was even possible for someone like me who doesn’t have a great deal of swimming experience.

"You couldn’t actually train for this in the North Sea because of health and safety issues. All my preparation was gym-based, so I just crushed it and pushed myself as hard as possible and I think that helped me in the swim.

"We completed two 10k practice swims, the first at Lake Windermere in the summer, and the second at Loch Lomond on September 2. Lee and I have both done marathons and we both like to rise to these challenges.

“I’ve done a lot of things – ultra marathons and other endurance events – but this was really you against you. Once your head is in that water, you’re alone against your own thoughts.

"You feel that you’ve lived lifetimes in that water and you learn a lot about yourself. It’s the most satisfying feeling.”

David was thinking of his family during the swim, but he also got inspiration from the people the Aspire charity seeks to help.

"It’s worth sparing a thought to those less fortunate than us, who are trapped in their own bodies really need help. No one is prepared for how it will change their life and it could happen to anyone at any time.

"For this swim, we had to overcome different kinds of adversity to exceed our limits like never before – but that’s just a token gesture compared to the challenge people

with spinal injuries face every single day.”

People can still visit David and Lee’s Just Giving page to donate to the cause.