The 72-year-old is raising money for a rare genetic skin disease
08:45, 02 Apr 2025
Graeme Souness
Graeme Souness
Big-hearted Rangers legend Graeme Souness is set to embark on a return swim across the English Channel next month as he aims to raise a further £750,000 for his charity DEBRA UK.
Souness completed the 21-mile swim from England to France two years ago as part of a six-person relay team in 12 hours and 17 minutes.
Article continues below
Souness CBE donned his wetsuit to help raise awareness of a rare genetic skin blistering condition known as epidermolysis bullosa (EB), more commonly known as butterfly skin.
The Scotland, Liverpool and Rangers icon was inspired to take on the challenge after meeting Isla Grist, 14, who suffers from EB. He took part in the team challenge, which included Isla's father, and his exploits captured the public’s imagination and helped raise more than £1.5million for EB charity, DEBRA UK.
Now Souness is getting back in the water to take on his biggest challenge yet. In May, the 71-year-old and a team of six will be doing double the distance for EB, swimming to France and back.
And he said: “I was truly blown away by the support we got back in 2023.
Rangers legend Graeme Souness and Isla Grist
"I had to do something for my wee friend, Isla, and the thousands of other children and adults affected by this cruel condition.
“With the money raised DEBRA was able to start testing drugs which could be life-changing for people with EB, but there are many more drugs that they need to test if we are to secure effective treatments for every form of EB, treatments that could help stop the extreme pain of EB. This is why we’re getting back in the water once again.
“It’s going to be tough; I’ll be 72 and it’s double the distance, but I know we can do this, we must do this, we must BE the difference for EB”.
Souness and the team are due to hit the water in early May, time and tide depending, and hope to raise £750,000 which could fund a further two EB clinical trials, which are focused on testing existing licensed drugs that already successfully treat other inflammatory skin conditions like severe eczema and psoriasis and which could be effective in improving the symptoms of EB including incredibly painful blisters and open wounds, and excruciating itch.
For more information about EB please visit www.debra.org.uk and to sponsor Graeme and the team please visit www.give.as/debra
Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond.
You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season.
Article continues below
We're also WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.
Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.