A FORMER Royal Marine commando completing a month-long initiative to fundraise for charity visited Clacton during a nationwide road trip.

Tim Crossin, 59, is raising money for the Royal Marines Charity, Lymphoma Action and Rock 2 Recovery.

He has beaten three lymphoma cancers in the last four years but was sadly diagnosed a fourth time this December.

Tim is fundraising through a series of extreme cold-water dips including in Clacton on Thursday, January 26.

He said: “As a former Royal Marine, I’d like to be running up a mountain, naked, with a fridge on my back or swimming the Channel dragging a piano or something else mad and extreme, but all the chemotherapy has severely damaged my lungs limiting my physical capability.

“Although I can’t swim for long I thought I could raise some money and awareness by doing short swims around the country every day in January.”

Tim is doing a Britain road trip in a camper van clockwise around the coast, starting and finishing in Poole, taking a dip in 31 locations around England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

A large following has already grown with some locations having 50 to 100 people joining in.

Tim received backing from friend and former Royal Marine Commando, Special Forces operator and TV personality Steve ‘Titch’ Cormack from BBC’s Speed Shop and other TV and sporting celebrities.

He added: “Cancer can, if you let it, take over your life and become the only topic of conversation. I decided to change the narrative as well as do something good and to give back.

“The cold water takes your mind off your problems, focus you thoughts on that exact moment, I have found it extremely beneficial in dealing with the emotional and physical challenges and demands of living with cancer.

“It’s quite a challenge and I know there are many veterans, serving personnel, swimming groups and the general public round the country who will take the plunge with me and enjoy a hot drink and chat afterwards, The support of the communities I visit will be key to this initiative.”

To donate to Tim’s cause visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/colddipcommando.