A keen swimmer has crossed the English Channel to raise over £23,000 for Brain Tumour Research in memory of his dad, who passed away from complications surrounding the disease.

Setting out from Shakespeare Beach in Dover at 6am, Ben Rosenberg, 45, braved the 16 to 17-degree Celsius waters to make the Herculean 21-mile journey (the equivalent to 1,352 lengths of a 25-metre swimming pool) to Cap Gris-Nez on the shores of France in nothing but a pair of swimming trunks and goggles.

The journey began in earnest over a year ago when Ben began daily training in a swimming pool, in addition to cold water training in plunge pools, Highgate’s Men’s Ponds, the lake at Merchant Taylors’ School and the sea in Bournemouth three times a week, and taking only cold showers for a year and a half.

He also joined a strict open-water swimming bootcamp and had to complete a six-hour observed assessment swim before he could be allowed to attempt the crossing.

Ben Rosenberg's journey across the English Channel (Credit: Courtesy)

Before setting off, Ben, a member of New London Synagogue in St John’s Wood and head of distribution at the BBC, told the JC he would be “very happy indeed” to make the crossing in under 14 hours – which he achieved with half an hour to spare.

One of Ben’s primary challenges, beyond the cold and physical exertion, was to maintain his mental fortitude and fend off any creeping doubt in his ability to complete the crossing. He said: “I was least comfortable during the first two hours after setting off because I’d never before just got in the water from one beach and headed for another, not knowing exactly how long it would take but knowing there would be a very long period of not being able to see any land at all.”

Ben Rosenberg swimming across the English Channel (Credit: Courtesy)

For more than half a day of non-stop swimming, Ben counteracted any negative thoughts by focusing on the mechanics of his stroke, naming food and cities, creating mental musical playlists for each letter of the alphabet, and delving as far back as he could into his memory.

Ben Rosenberg swimming across the English Channel (Credit: Courtesy)

What proved the most challenging element however – and the most lasting discomfort – was when Ben found himself at times swimming through what he described as “jellyfish soup” because of the number of large jellyfish that floated all around him.

He said: “A couple of spots in the crossing were so thick with jellyfish that I couldn’t avoid getting stung many times, with some of the larger stings on my arms and face. I knew it would happen after talking with people who had made the crossing before and reading up about it, but I had no idea about the extent.

“I just kept reminding myself that failure was not an option. kept telling myself: ‘I am going to do it and will keep going as long as it takes.’”

Some of the injuries Ben Rosenberg sustained from jellyfish during his swim across the English Channel (Credit: Courtesy)

Ben was accompanied on the journey and cheered on by a boat carrying some “absolutely sensational” friends and an “incredible” crew who were responsible for ensuring his safe crossing. He was thrown nutrient-rich food and warm shakes containing electrolytes attached to a rope every hour. The regular intervals were the only way Ben could roughly keep track of time.

Ben Rosenberg pausing to eat while swimming across the English Channel (Credit: Courtesy)

While making the crossing, Ben was also cheered on by upwards of 200 people in a WhatsApp group chat set up to keep tabs on his journey via google tracking. While swimming, the group helped Ben go beyond the £20,000 mark, more than 150 per cent over his original fundraising goal.

Ben as a child with his father Ray (Credit: Courtesy)

After many hours of swimming with a visibility of only two to three metres ahead, Ben said he felt “triumphant” when he could finally make out the seabed as he approached France. “When I started to be able to see the sand beneath me, I had the biggest smile,” he said.

Ben Rosenberg after arriving in France (Credit: Courtesy)

Now safely back on British soil, apart from feeling a bit sore in the shoulders and from lingering jelly fish stings, Ben feels “weirdly really, really good” physically, “thrilled” to have raised such a large sum for a good cause and “overwhelmed” by the huge outpouring of love and support.

Ben was 22 when his father, Ray, died in 2001, following complications during surgery he underwent to remove a brain tumour. Now approaching the age at which his father died, 48, Ben has found himself reflecting “on all he gave to his family” and the importance of keeping his memory alive.

A triumphant Ben Rosenberg after his successful swim across the English Channel (Credit: Courtesy)

“Dad was a huge character, a real personality,” Ben said. “His grandchildren and granddaughters-in-law, who never got to meet him, would’ve adored him. He was large both in physical stature and in his personality, and he was dedicated to serving the wider Jewish community in Birmingham and Prestwich, Manchester, where he grew up.

Ray Rosenberg

"Most of all, though, family was absolutely the most important thing to my dad. My brothers and I grew up in a household filled with love and one which encouraged giving your time to charitable causes.

“Swimming the channel was, for me, a way to continue my dad’s charitable legacy. It has allowed me to feel close to both my dad and granddad, who was a keen swimmer. When I was swimming, I imagined them both alongside me."

Ben Rosenberg and his crew after completing his swim across the English Channel (Credit: Courtesy)

Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research (BTR), said they were “incredibly grateful” for Ben’s efforts and for sharing his dad’s story with them. “It’s only with the support of people such as Ben which will help us get closer to finding a cure for this cruel disease,” she said.

According to BTR, brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet receive just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research. In the UK, 16,000 people a year are diagnosed with a brain tumour and just 12 per cent of those survive beyond five years, compared to an average of 54 per cent across all cancers.

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