FATHER David Stevens has completed a solo nine-and-a-half hour swimming marathon, covering over 700 lengths or 11 miles in the pool in memory of his son Tylor who died at the age of 17.

Mr Stevens, 43, of Calne, stopped only once, for a quick toilet break, during the marathon pool session which started at 6.30am and didn’t finish until 4pm.

The plumbing and heating engineer even completed the final length underwater, all to raise money for the Make A Wish Foundation.

Mr Stevens, a plumbing and heating engineer by trade, said: “It went very well; I was really pleased with how far I managed and the support we got. It was the support got and the donations that kept me going.

“It was not about me it was doing something good for Tylor and for the charity to make what would have been a difficult day into a day where friends and family could smile and have a bit of fun.”

Supporters on the day raised around £200 taking the total money raised by Mr Stevens to around £2,700, well beyond the original £1,000 he’d targeted.

Mr Stevens’ son Tylor, an art student at John Bentley School in Calne, was born with a complex congenital heart condition and died in June 2013. He had two heart operations at a young age and also suffered from epilepsy and scoliosis.

Mr Stevens will donate the money to the Make A Wish Foundation, the charity which gave Tylor his treasured bright orange laptop which became full of photos and videos demonstrating his strong creative streak.

“What Make A Wish foundation does is a very lovely thing. It does put smiles on faces of children who go through hard and difficult times,” he added.

“This is about raising awareness for them as well as raising money for them.”

Friends of Mr Stevens have already outlined their determination to follow his example and raise further funds for the charity.

A charity ball is being organised for near Christmas time and a Halloween ball in Chippenham will also make a donation to Make A Wish Foundation.

For Tylor’s 21st birthday, Mr Stevens is planning a trip to the Lake District to swim across Lake Windermere to raise even more money for the charity.

To support Mr Stevens’ marathon swim visit: www.justgiving.com/David-Stevens13