Tom Gregory

Tom Gregory grew up in Eltham, South-East London. Joining the local swimming club aged seven, he began to dream of swimming the English Channel. Training over the following four years, he swam a length of Lake Windermere aged ten, and began preparing in earnest for the Channel attempt after his eleventh birthday. Setting off from Wissant Bay in France on 6th September 1988, aged eleven, Tom Gregory was the 333^rd person to swim the distance and became the youngest person ever to complete it. He retains the world record to this day, along with the Gold Blue Peter badge he received for the feat and the box tickets he was given to see Leyton Orient play at home.

Today, Tom Gregory lives in Surrey with his wife and two children and works in London. He takes his daughters swimming every weekend.