A DETERMINED dad plans to swim the River Deben in a leg cast to raise cash for the Treehouse Appeal, which has now hit almost �1million.

Nick Glendinning, 44, had been training for 12 months to swim 13 miles from Tarifa in southern Spain to Tangier in Morocco.

But disaster struck when he snapped his Achillies tendon in a father’s race last week, resulting in him facing the next few months in a cast.

“I was gutted,” he said.

“I had spent hours training for this.

“I had reached a certain level of fitness and so it would be crazy to loose it.”

Undaunted, Mr Glendinning, who lives in Little Blakenham, now plans to swim 10 miles from Woodbridge to Felixstowe next week.

All money raised will go towards the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) appeal to build a new �3m hospice in Ipswich, which has now reached �938,855.

With a waterproof cast, Mr Glendinning is now back in the water training for his brave fundraising bid.

“Having four children stirs your empathy for these projects and I think the Treehouse Appeal is a particularly good one,” he said. “Care for sick children is something that strikes a chord with a lot of people.

“Being local, this is something I really wanted to get out there and do something for.”

As the appeal to complete a new, six-bedroom facility to care for life-threatened children in Suffolk and north Essex nears the vital �1m mark, Mr Glendinning said he is more determined than ever to complete his new challenge.

“It is quite tricky swimming with a leg cast on,” he said. “People think I’m crazy.

“I get some strange looks jumping into the sea at Felixstowe.

“It is going to be quite tough but it should be fun.”

Mr Glendinning plans to leave Woodbridge Sailing Club at 9am on Thursday and hopes to reach the beach near Cliff Road in Felixstowe around 2pm.

Anyone interested in sponsoring him can visit www.justgiving.com/debenswim