A FATHER of two from Salisbury swam the English Channel today.

Jon Tribbeck set off on his second attempt at around 2am this morning.

He hit the French coast after a swim time of 15 hours and 58 minutes.

The task was in aid of Julia’s House, the Wiltshire and Dorset children’s hospice charity.

Jon, who runs H R Tribbeck & Son jewellers, raised over £3,000 for Julia’s House on his first attempt to swim the Channel in 2016.

On that occasion, despite a strong start, Jon was pulled from the water off the French coast after 12.5 hours when he developed Swimming Induced Pulmonary Edema (SIPE), a condition in which fluid from the body enters the lungs.

Jon’s oxygen saturation levels plummeted, and he was evacuated by helicopter and taken to hospital for emergency treatment.

Despite a near-death experience Jon is determined to fulfil his ambition to swim the Channel and, weather-permitting, is scheduled to set off from Dover at 2am on Tuesday.

The challenging 35km crossing is renowned for being one of the hardest open water swims in the world and Jon is philosophical about having to abort his first attempt

Jon said: “There were a few positives to take away from my 2016 attempt. It was a great training swim, I learnt one of the ways not to swim to France, and I raised some funds for Julia’s House Children’s Hospice. So having eventually accepted my situation I was able to draw on these positives and construct a plan for 2019. Loosely my plan involvs becoming better informed about every aspect of training including nutrition and technique. I’ve got my training right. I’ve improved my technique. I’ve improved my swim speed. I have another great crew. I have the right pilot and boat. I have fantastic support.”

Julia’s House is a local charity dedicated to supporting the families of children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions. It relies on public donations, fundraising and legacies for all of the money needed to run its vital service in Wiltshire. On raising funds for the charity Jon says: “My friends and supporters were very generous in sponsoring me in 2016 and their donations made a real difference to the kids that Julia’s House helps. This is why I’ve chosen to swim for them again.”

A spokesperson for Julia’s House said: “People like Jon really show the length and dedication they give to charities; they even put their own lives at risk to support us. Jon has already raised well over £3,000 for Julia’s House and he should be so proud of what he has achieved as we certainly are.

“We couldn’t thank him enough.”

Anybody wishing to sponsor Jon can do so by visiting his JustGving page: justgiving.com/fundraising/jon-tribbeck-swims