'He always wanted to inspire people - it's the reason we are doing this': Firefighters take part in 36-hour charity swim in tribute to Iain Hughes

Dozens of friends and colleagues of the West Midlands Fire Service have jumped into the water to raise money for late firefighter Iain Hughes.

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Crew Commander Iain Hughes, a well-respected and much-loved member of the West Midlands Fire Service, sadly died as he attempted a charity swim in the English Channel in June 2023.

The Dudley local started the charity swim with a support boat in Dover; however, more than 11 hours into the swim, he disappeared, with the 42-year-old's body being recovered near Belgium on July 4.

Following his tragic death, thousands of tributes consisting of messages of support and admiration were shared for the firefighter, with hundreds of people remembering his 'care and kind' manner.

Black Country firefighter Iain Hughes died while attempting to swim the English Channel for charity.

Now, dozens of friends, family members and colleagues of the West Midlands Fire Service have joined in a 36 hour charity swim to raise money in a touching tribute to the late firefighter's honour.

Speaking at the David Lloyds Club, Brierley Hill, where the swim is taking place, Watch Commander Jim McParland, of the technical rescue unit, said it is a fitting tribute for his late friend.

Dozens of friends, family and colleagues of the fire service have taken part in the swim

He said: "We aren't doing too bad currently, the last time we counted we had done around 36 kilometres, we are logging some great times and on average people are doing about 2k in an hour.

"I think we just had one person do around 3.5 kilometres, which is absolutely outstanding.

"It's a bittersweet day - but it's a celebration in his name. We are getting more people coming every hour, and everyone is in good spirits. It's really nice."

The swim will raise money for the Fire Fighters charity rehibiliation centres, which support firefighters and their families

The watch commander said that Iain's inspiring personality is one of the reasons why they held the charity swim, saying that 'he always wanted to inspire people'.

He said, "This is the reason we did this. It's a fitting tribute; he always wanted to inspire people, and people are really rising to the occasion.

"We still have over 24 hours left, but the energy of the crowd will get us through it."

Plenty of people have gotten involved in the charity swim, pictured is: Neil Parsons, Jonny Pearson and Organiser and Watch Commander in Wednesbury, Jim McParland.

So far, more than £3,000 has been raised for the Firefighter Charity, with the funds going towards the group's three rehabilitation centres, which provide support to firefighters and their families.

Mr McParland said: "It's really overwhelming and brilliant to see people supporting this effort, and the donations are fantastic.

"People have done a lot of pushing themselves out of their comfort zones, some of those swimmers are actually first-time swimmers.

"We want to say thank you for all those who have donated so far, and that no donation is too small, even a penny makes all of this worth it."

If you want to donate to 'Hughesy's Marathon Swim', you can find more information and ways to give on the JustGiving website.