Sale man 'terrified of fish' to swim 'English Channel'

But Nick Jamieson-Jones won't be taking to the open water. Instead, he will complete the mammoth 21-mile swim in a less intimidating environment - the pool at his local gym.

It is all in aid of Francis House Children’s Hospice, which supports more than 600 families from Greater Manchester.

Nick, who is the assistant manager of Oppio Lounge in Altrincham, has set up a JustGiving page and is aiming to raise £1,000 by swimming 45 laps of the 25m pool every day throughout June.

The 36-year-old former professional dancer said: "I swam when I was very young, but I stopped in my early teens and never really got back to it. It is taking me just over an hour to swim 45 lengths.

“I’m not in any rush. I’m just in the slow lane doing the breaststroke swimming along nice and chilled listening to a playlist of more than 800 songs with my waterproof headphones on.

“I get into work after a swim, and I feel wide awake. My colleagues have noticed it and it’s already proving beneficial. I wasn’t expecting that, I genuinely thought I’d be more tired but at the same time it’s for such a good cause.”

In the water! Mr Jamieson-Jones pictured swimming (Image: Francis House)

The initiative is part of 'LoungeAid', an annual fundraising event organised by Lounge all-day café bar sites across the UK.

From its base in Didsbury, Francis House Children’s Hospice provides a range of services including respite care, homecare, sibling support, end of life care and bereavement support to children and young adults with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions.

It was after a visit to the hospice on an open day that Nick was inspired to raise as much money as possible.

He said: “I was taken on a tour of the hospice by one of the care team. I already had some basic idea of what a hospice does in terms of bereavement but when I walked through the kitchen dining area I was amazed, it was so open and much bigger than I thought it would be.

“Francis House calls itself a home from home, and Lounges calls itself a lounge away from home. Seeing inside Francis House and how it’s not at all like a hospital, all the equipment is hidden away and that it's a place to relax for all the family really motivated me.

“Of course, I felt quite emotional when I saw the rainbow rooms – the cooled rooms that the child can go after they have died where the family can spend as much time with them as they need – that choked me up a bit. I want to do as much as I possibly can for Francis House."

Mr Jamieson-Jones told how he is terrified of the sea (Image: Francis House)

Nick continued: “I went to a manager meeting afterwards and explained where I had just been and that we really needed to push this. The target for LoungeAid is £500 for each Lounge but our target at Oppio in Altrincham is £1,000 and I’d love to raise more than that.”

Oppio Lounge opened in April 2023, at the site of the former Bistrot Pierre on George Street.

He added: “We have a tight knit community at the lounges and regular customers. You can come to a lounge with your laptop and have a cup of coffee and work or just read a book, meet friends and have cocktails or come with your kids and have breakfast. It’s all about coming here to enjoy yourself and treat it like your home.”

Nick officially begins his swim on June 1 but has already seen hundreds of pounds worth of donations.

Speaking about his phobia of fish, he said: “I’m terrified of the sea - that’s why I’m doing the equivalent miles in a pool.

"I’m not sure why, fish freak me out I don’t even eat them. For me, the beach is the worse thing ever. I don’t think I could survive on a cruise ship either.”