Graeme Souness takes on new challenge for skin disease charity

Football legend Graeme Souness is taking on a new fundraising challenge just months after undergoing shoulder surgery.

Last year, the former player and pundit completed a relay swim across the English Channel for DEBRA UK, a charity that supports people with the skin condition Epidermolysis bullosa (EB), also known as butterfly skin.

The relay team reunites. This time they swim the English Channel in both directions. Then follows a 137 kilometre cycle ride from Dover to London.

The 71-year-old, who is still recovering from surgery, will take part in the cycling leg of the challenge, which takes place in September.

Souness, vice chair of DEBRA UK, became involved with the charity after meeting 16-year-old Isla Grist, who has the disease.

The Inverness teenager suffers from severe blistering and constant pain as a result of EB.

Souness described it as “the cruellest disease there is”.

The former Liverpool and Scotland captain, who lives in Sandbanks, Dorset, underwent surgery in January after injuring his shoulder during last year’s Channel crossing.

He hoped swimming would give him “a bit more exercise”, but a recent scan showed his shoulder had not healed sufficiently, so he will be sailing with the support boat.

“It’s not because of the swim the boys are going to do in September. I just can’t take the risk.

“I’m coming on the boat. I’ll give them a good going over at every opportunity,” he joked.

He said cycling was “the least of my worries” and that was why he would be taking part in the Dover to London cycle race.

DEBRA UK provides community support to improve the quality of life of people with EB and conducts research into drug treatments to stop the pain.

The six-person relay team, which also included Isla’s father Andy, completed the 21-mile swim in 12 hours and 17 minutes last year, raising £4.5 million for charity.

Mr Grist said: “It’s fantastic, not just for me but for Isla as well. She’s learning so much from this.

“It’s getting a lot harder. I really missed it.”