Braving daily sea dips for friend with blood cancer
North East
Steve Robinson, 62, from Guisborough, has taken on an extraordinary challenge this January, plunging into the North Sea every single day to raise money for Blood Cancer UK. He’s been inspired by fellow rugby player, Matt, who was diagnosed with blood cancer last year.
Steve and others fending off waves
Steve, a semi-retired electrical engineer, has already raised £3,162, smashing his original £1,000target, by committing to an open water swim every day throughout January. He’s braved near-freezing temperatures, high tides and biting winds along the North Yorkshire and Northumberland coast.
“I’ve struggled on some occasions. Some days it’s half five in the afternoon, I finish work, and I’m in the sea by six o’clock at night. It’s high tide and freezing, but once you’ve committed, you just keep going in.
- Steve, talking about his dips
Steve’s challenge was sparked when player and friend, from Guisborough Rugby Club, Matthew Flint, 42, was diagnosed with blood cancer in November last year.
Steve played rugby with him for the club the start of his rugby career and his son has played with him over the last 10 years during which time Matt was 1st team captain, latterly in the 2024/25 season.
“He’s in his 40s. The doctors told him he was lucky to see Christmas, but he’s still here today with some treatment. If treatment gives people more time, that’s everything.”
Steve and his dog!
From Saltburn, and Redcar to the Tees Estuary, and even the Northumberland coastline while away with his wife, Steve has clocked up daily swims across the North-East. One day when working in Scotland, Steve even made the detour to South Queensferry on his way home south and dipped in the shadow of the Firth of Forth rail bridge.
“I certainly couldn’t have done this when I was working full time. My usual daily swim means travelling from my home, five miles from the coast. I’ve had to navigate a local bridge closure, diversions, but I get there.”
Steve hasn’t been doing it alone. His wife has joined him for some of the Northumberland dips, alongside friends. And he’s had some help from a mobile sauna to help him warm up.
“There was five of us,” he laughed. “Sauna, back into the sea and so on.”
During other dips, Matthew's wife and good friends have joined him, as well as another rugby player Andy Tucker.
Steve and his wife
Steve has been sharing photos and videos on Facebook and Instagram, including one particularly memorable swim. “I went in the sea naked the other day, I didn’t reveal too much – I wore a hat. It got people talking.”
Matt’s family are regularly on Steve’s mind as he swims.
“You see people on the news getting pioneering drug treatments, and here’s Matt going into James Cook Hospital, in his mid-40s, with two daughters.”
“At the end of the day, it’s about a cure."
- Steve Robinson
Hannah Jackson, Fundraising Manager in the North-East at Blood Cancer UK, said:
“Open water swimming every day in January is no small feat, but what really stands out is why he’s doing it. Blood cancer can turn lives upside down overnight, and the money Steve is raising will help fund research that gives people more time with the ones they love.
“Blood cancer is the UK’s third largest cancer killer, yet it’s often overlooked. Fundraisers like Steve are helping to change that, raising vital funds, but also starting conversations in their communities about the urgent need for better treatments.”
Steve’s JustGiving page explains his motivation simply: “At the end of the day, it’s about a cure. When it’s someone you’ve played rugby with, someone you see regularly, it hits home.
Guisborough Rugby Club is a close-knit community. We look after our own. We’re hoping to get as many rugby players past and present in the sea on Sunday 1st February!”
