INTREPID South Wales mountaineering accountant and prodigious charity fund- raiser Gary Parker and a team of swimmers are training for an English Channel attempt in Lydney.

The squad is taking advantage of the excellent outdoor facilities available at the town's Bathurst pool.

Gary, who has climbed some of the world's tallest mountains and taken part in gruelling desert and jungle endurance challenges, is to lead a relay swim of the English Channel. ?He has chosen the Bathurst pool in Lydney to harden up his squad of all female swimmers.

Gary, MD of Monmouthshire-based Parker and Co Accountants, is gathering a team of six to swim the challenging 21 miles (32 kms) across the Channel in relay from?Dover to Calais, in aid of St David's Hospice Care.

Squad members assembled for their first outdoor session at Lydney's Bathurst pool, where the water was a balmy 18 degrees centigrade, to complete 44 training lengths which is equal to one mile.

Gary, who swam for Wales as a schoolboy, has signed up the team as 'serious swimmers' at the Lydney pool which, he says, is ideal for training for their attempt on the channel.

"Bathurst pool is brilliant. The temperature in the pool is a bit higher than the 14 degrees we can expect in the channel and the water is a lot calmer with no unexpected floating objects but it is a perfect outdoor environment in which to train and an ideal location for all of the squad," he said.

Gary, who is looking to raise a combined £25,000 for St David's through the swim, is putting the swimmers through their paces before finally selecting the five others and reserve who will join him on the charity event in July next year.

"I'm very pleased to say that we have some very strong and determined swimmers in the squad. We'll continue to train at Lydney regularly and will also be completing some sea swimming sessions in the Bristol Channel."

He added: "The swim is not something to be taken lightly. We'll need to complete qualifiers and then choose our team of six swimmers for the Welsh attempt. Each of those taking part will need to raise in excess of £4,000 in sponsorship.

"Swimming the English Channel is a unique and demanding swim, considered by many to be the ultimate long distance challenge. Apparently it isn't the distance that is the real problem but the variable conditions swimmers will encounter along the way.

"The water is cold, there is a good chance of meeting jellyfish, mounds of seaweed and the occasional plank of wood. It is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world with 600 tankers passing through and 200 ferries and Sea Cats and other vessels going across daily, so we'll really have our work cut out."