Charles Channels his fundraising efforts for Crohn's

SEVERE food poisoning from a fish led to property developer Charles Morgan developing the lifelong crippling inflammatory bowel disease Crohn’s – but brave Charles was so determined not to let the condition rule his life that he has just swum the English Channel to raise awareness – collecting £14,000 for charity along the way.

Charles, from Beaulieu, was looking forward to a holiday in Antigua with friends watching cricket in 2015 when he first became ill.

He said: “I caught a form of food poisoning called ciguatera at the very beginning of the holiday. At home I continued to feel awful, suffering severe stomach cramps and diarrhoea along with terrible fatigue.

“I was eventually diagnosed with Crohn’s in 2016. Crohn’s is something people do not want to talk about. I can understand that, it can be extremely embarrassing. But I very much want to raise awareness of it.”

Luckily for Charles medication has managed to bring his condition under control without having to undergo any surgery.

He said: “I know how fortunate I am. Many people not only have to have surgery but also end up with a stoma bag to collect waste.”

Charles also credits exercise with helping his condition – especially cold-water swimming which is where the inspiration came for his Channel swim.

He said: “I realised that my symptoms seemed to improve after I had been for a swim in cold water. When I looked online, I saw that many Crohn’s sufferers who had tried it reported the same.

“I think it is because it gets the blood pumping round and also calms the inflamed intestine down.”

Covid-19 meant many swimming pools were shut so Charles did most of his training for his Channel swim in the Solent as well as the sea off Dover where his swimming coach Matt Duggan is based.

Last Friday he set off from Dover at 2am with his brother James and Matt accompanying him in a boat.

Charles said: “It was without doubt the hardest thing I have ever done. The worst time was about six hours in when I started being violently sick and was stung by jellyfish.

“But nothing was going to stop me, and I eventually made it to Wissant in France after 13 hours and six minutes.

“When I arrived, I could literally only stand on the beach for a few minutes due to coronavirus restrictions but the people on it started cheering me which was really nice.”

He added: “I am so glad I did the swim. The sense of achievement was just amazing. It was a real struggle at times, but I am absolutely over the moon I did it.”

He has raised nearly £14,000 for the charity Crohn’s and Colitis UK. To donate visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/swimming-the-channel-for-crohns