Tomorrow (Wednesday 30th April), football icon Graeme Souness CBE will once again take to the sea, this time attempting a double crossing of the English Channel. His mission: to make a difference for those living with epidermolysis bullosa (EB).
Graeme will be joined by a team of six for this extraordinary feat, aiming to raise greater awareness of EB – a rare and devastating genetic condition that causes the skin to blister and tear at the slightest touch. Often referred to as “butterfly skin”, EB makes everyday contact excruciatingly painful.
In June 2023, Graeme inspired many with his first Channel swim, raising over £1.5 million for DEBRA UK, a charity dedicated to supporting people affected by EB. Now, he’s back in the water to continue the fight.
Commenting on his latest fundraising challenge, Graeme said:
“I was truly blown away by the support we got back in 2023. I had to do something for my wee friend, Isla, and the thousands of other children and adults affected by this cruel condition.
With the money raised DEBRA UK was able to start testing drugs which could be life-changing but there are many more drugs that they need to test if we are to secure effective treatments for every form of EB, treatments that could help stop the extreme pain. This is why we’re getting back in the water once again. It’s going to be tough; I’m 71 now and it’s double the distance, but I know we can do this, we must do this, we must be the difference for EB”.
The swim is scheduled to begin at 11:30am on Wednesday from Dover Harbour. The team’s fundraising goal is £750,000 – enough to support two additional clinical trials that could bring hope to EB sufferers by targeting agonising symptoms like open wounds, severe blistering, and relentless itching.
For more on EB, visit www.debra.org.uk, and to support Graeme’s swim, go to www.give.as/debra.
