OLDEST PERSON TO SWIM CHANNEL

70 YEAR OLD SWIMS CHANNEL

A seventy year old has claimed a new Guinness World Record by swimming the English Channel in 17 hours and 51 minutes. Roger Allsopp, a retired surgeon from Guernsey beat the current record holder, George Brunstad – Matt Damon's uncle – and is, at 70 years and 4 months, now officially the oldest person to swim the Channel.

Mr Allsop said, 'I do feel an immense sense of achievement and relief that I have been successful... This has been an incredible personal challenge for me and my focus has always been to help raise money for Hope for Guernsey and Wessex Medical Research, a cause that I am extremely passionate about... I've never been one to sit on my laurels. Retirement has been wonderful but I know how important it is to keep active in mind and body to live a healthy retirement and so I set myself physical challenges to ensure that I keep as fit and healthy as I can.'

Guinness World Records adjudicator, Anna Orford said, 'To swim the English Channel is a great challenge and to do it at the mature age of 70 years is astounding!'

The swim also raised money to help fund world-class medical equipment for cancer research at the University of Southampton.

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