INTREPID great grandad Patrick Donnelly will celebrate his 70th birthday with a charity dip.
He will swim along the River Colne, from Colchester to Wivenhoe, to raise funds for St Helena Hospice.
Mr Donnelly, who has nine grandchildren and two great grandchildren, swims three times a week in Colchester.
He said: “When people are described as good swimmers, I do not think others realise just how good a swimmer you have to be to swim in open waters.”
On September 8, the day he celebrates his birthday, Mr Donnelly, of St John’s Green, Colchester, will set off from Hythe Quay for Wivenhoe.
He is no stranger to challenges as he completed a triathlon on his 50th birthday and marked his 55th by climbing Crete’s highest mountain.
Mr Donnelly, who is hoping to raise at least £1,000 for the High Woods-based hospice, said he chose the charity because it had looked after a close family friend.
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