A 14-year-old boy is preparing to swim the Channel for the second time.

Beech Hall School pupil Alexander Sixsmith will make the crossing this summer as the only child on a relay team of five adults.

This is made all the more impressive as Alexander lives with Developmental Language Disorder, whilst also managing the symptoms of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, a condition affecting his heart rate that has seen him in and out of hospital.

"Often, feeling different can knock your confidence. Swimming builds mine back up," Alexander said.

"The water levels the playing field and gives me something solid to return to, even when my health fluctuates.

"When you have swum a Channel relay at 13 while spending parts of winter in hospital, your perspective shifts.

"You learn that limits are sometimes further away than they first appear."

Mum, Suzanne Sixsmith, added: "Alexander is a resilient young man.

"He always has his focus on his strengths.

"The symptoms of POTS require careful management and a consistent proactive approach to hydration."

Alexander first got into open water swimming less than two years ago, through trials at his school in October 2024.

Just one year later, aged 13, he completed a Channel crossing as part of a relay team that won both the Youngest and Fastest Junior Relay awards from the Channel Swimming Association.

Two weeks later, he crossed the Strait of Bonifacio between Corsica and Sardinia as part of the youngest mixed team to ever make that crossing.

Suzanne added: "He loved swimming in the darkness in the separation zone.

"Crossing the channel is always challenging and he was proud to read the official Channel Swim Association observer report that clearly set out just how much he had contributed to the team's success."

This summer, Alexander will be part of an adult relay team swimming the Channel for Aspire, a charity that supports people with spinal cord injuries.

"It's crucial work," Suzanne added.

"They receive no government funding, which is why fundraising matters enormously.

"Every four hours someone in the UK is paralysed by a spinal cord injury, and Aspire helps with housing, training, independence and advocacy – things that genuinely transform lives.

"The funds raised go directly toward supporting people through their rehabilitation and helping them rebuild independence after life-changing injuries."

Alexander is being trained by professional coaches Dave and Karen Quartermain at USWIM.

He trains at Dock 9 at Salford Quays and Boundary Water Park near Allostock, as well as in pools in Macclesfield and Poynton.

Alexander said: "My teammates and I will give everything to reach France this summer.

"I will keep swimming my swim, one stroke at a time.

"And if you are a young person who feels like your body or brain makes things harder than they should be, I would say this – find your water.

"Find the place where the noise fades and your strengths surface. When you find it, hold on to it. That is where you discover what you are capable of."

On what the future holds for Alexander, mum Suzanne added: "Alexander is focusing on his 2026 crossing at the moment.

"Swimming is so important for his own health and management of symptoms that I believe he will continue to swim and build on each experience.

"As long as he is enjoying it, he will always have the right support to create opportunities to thrive and achieve, and he is clearly a talented swimmer recording elite times.

"I know that he has his eye on some big swims in his future!"