AN AMBITIOUS startup owner will be taking the plunge and swimming across the second largest lake in the Lake District for a cancer charity.

Alex Lester, 28, originally from Selby, will swim 7.5 miles across Ullswater in a bid to raise £1,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Having lost both his grandparents and his step mother within the past few months, Alex has his sights firmly set on the challenge ahead, inspired by the amazing work Macmillan provided for his family.

Alex is the founder of Studio Lester - a northern-based documentary photography and videography studio - and will be using his business’ website and Instagram account as a platform to document his progress over the next few months.

He now resides in Saltaire, Bradford - nearby to the birth town of his late grandfather, Rev. Denys Terry.

Alex explained: “In December 2016 my granddad - a man whom I was very close to - passed away having been diagnosed with liver cancer.

"He was a Methodist minister who never once touched alcohol in his life.

“A mere six month later and my grandma, Sheila Terry, suffered a similar fate - losing her battle with suspected cervical cancer in June of 2017 - leaving my mother without either her mum or dad, and my sister and I without our dearly loved grandparents.

“In addition to this, in April this year, my father lost his wife to lung cancer. Her name was Lorna Lester and she was 54 years old. She wasn't a smoker and prior to her diagnosis, lived a healthy and balanced life.

“Both my dad and step mum were only a few weeks into their scheduled retirement when the diagnosis was given.

“Having worked so hard over the course of their respective careers, this felt like an especially cruel twist.”

Between now and the big swim, Alex will be training in both Selby, where his mother, Rosalyn and widowed father, Clive Lester, still live, and Shipley.

Find out more about Alex's challenge at: https://studio-lester.com/big-ullswater-wild-swim/