A LOCAL Malaga policeman will take a huge plunge as he aims to raise awareness of childhood cancer.

Twenty-two thousand strokes to cross the Strait of Gibraltar and back, this is the challenge that the swimmer and 46-year-old local policeman, Luis Portero, has set himself with the aim of raising awareness against childhood cancer.

This ‘Desafío Las Dos Orillas’, as Portero has called it, will take place in the first fortnight of July and the aim is not only to draw attention to the impact of the childhood cancer, but also to raise funds to benefit the Olivares Foundation, a non-profit organisation from Malaga that provides support and assistance to children with cancer or other chronic pathologies and their families.

Portillo, who is a lifelong swimmer, has opened a crowdfunding campaign through the website ‘Mi Grano de Arena’, in which anyone who wishes to support his feat and help the Olivares Foundation can donate €1 per stroke.

At the presentation held this Wednesday, May 26, at the facilities of La Noria, headquarters of the Olivares Foundation, Portero informed that he had been preparing for this record ‘for years.’ A herculean feat that has only been achieved 13 times before by other open water swimmers.

The aim is to reach €22,000 euros, one euro donated for each stroke, to cover the gruelling 30 kilometres for the double crossing.

100% of the donations will go to Olivares Foundation and though Portero hopes to raise funds from sponsors to cover the costs of the challenge, the father of two girls has said he will pay for costs out of his own pocket if needed.

The Olivares Foundation was created in 2010 after founder Andres Olivares, lost his 9-year-old son to cancer.

Today the foundation offers support, including: psychological support, physiotherapy, speech therapy, nutrition and school support to more than a hundred children.

Last year the Materno Infantil diagnosed 70 new cases of cancer in children, of which 49 were solid tumours and 21 were leukaemias.

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