The dad of two is set to take part in a challenge to swim from England to France to make people aware of refugees' and asylum seekers' lives being at stake.
Duncan McAuley, 35, will lead a relay team in swimming the English Channel from Dover to Calais this month to raise thousands of pounds for refugees. At the same time, he also aims to raise awareness of the need to fight for a fairer asylum system that is more welcoming to those seeking sanctuary in the UK who are often forced to make perilous journeys packed into small and often unsafe boats.
Duncan, who has led the Newcastle -based refugee charity, Action Foundation, since last June, said: “In the last five years, at least 150 refugees have died crossing the Channel with some estimates putting that number much higher. My hope is that by taking on this challenge to swim from England to France, we can in some small way increase people’s awareness of the individual lives at stake, their hopes, ambitions, fears, and memories.”
