A loving widower is on the final leg of his gruelling long-distance charity swim in memory of his wife who sadly died of cancer.

Will Crosby from Horrabridge is attempting to swim the equivalent of the length of Britain (about 830 miles) in support of his deceased wife’s chosen charity Cancer Research UK. He started the swim on New Year’s Day 2024, and has completed just over a mile swim every day since then. With 100 miles to go, the end is near.

Will’s wife Harriet Crosby was diagnosed with stage four abdominal cancer in 2008 and after initial successful treatment she began training to run the London Marathon.

Tragically, despite battling hard, Harriet was diagnosed with a secondary cancers and died in November 2010.

Will and his daughters Thea and Rosie Crosby (who both went to Kelly College and Tavistock College sixth form) decided to keep her ‘Just Giving’ page open over the last 15 years, undertaking various challenges to keep up Harriet’s great charity work and memory alive.

Will’s swim challenge has tested his resilience, physically and mentally and has grown fitter, lost weight and made new swimming friends.

Over the last two years Will (a retired part time special education and care consultant) has completed his miles mostly at Meadowlands Leisure Centre, in Tavistock, and Mount Kelly College.

He has also completed one-mile swims in Sri Lanka, Australia, Hong Kong and Lanzarote whilst on holiday.

He said: “The Meadowlands life guards and swimming regulars, close friends and family have been so supportive Will emphasised. ‘Without them and my daughters’ endless encouragement, I don’t think I would have got this far.”

Will’s aim is to complete the last mile on Sunday, April 19. This is a week before Thea and Rosie take on the 2026 London marathon and their intention is to complete the last mile with their Dad and then complete the charity quest in Harriet’s name the following week.

Will said: “These charity events will bring down the final curtain and cement Harriet’s legacy to support those with cancer years after she herself has passed on.”

Harriet’s own Just Giving page, which Will is continuing in her name, says: “As you know 2008 has been a difficult year for me, to put it mildly. However, having been given the all-clear in September and amazed my consultants along the way with my tenacity and determination to get better I decided to put those skills to work in a different direction!! It was time to give something back by raising funds for Cancer Research UK – without whom the prognosis for me would have been so much worse.

Teacher Harriet, who died aged 41, said she could only cope with the cancer treatment by thinking of her daughters – “it is for them that I fought cancer and for them that I run the London Marathon – to show them that anything is possible if you want it enough.”

Will welcomes donations to Cancer Research UK at this link:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/harrietcrosby