Boy's championship swimming dream

The 13-year-old of Hazel Road, Angmering, has been selected for the Great Britain team which will be competing in the World Deaf Championships in Taiwan in August.

Despite holding five national records for his age group, the Worthing Swimming Club star receives no funding to help with the expenses of national '“ and now international '“ competitions.

"He was up in Sheffield recently at the national junior championships and swam in six races," said his mother, Jane Cranford.

"He won six gold medals, but travelling up there and staying over, you're looking at 200 for a weekend."

Mrs Cranford said she was "pretty stunned" by her son's international call-up while still so young.

She said: "He is only 13, so he is quite young.

"We were looking more at 2009 at the next Deaf Olympics.

"We weren't thinking about 2007, so it's quite something. We're very excited and extremely proud."

Friends and family have been doing their bit to raise money to help Alexander with his Taiwanese dream, raising around 400 towards the 3,500 target with a variety of collections and donations.

The money raised will send Alexander and his mother to Taipei for the competition between August 11 and 17.

Dad Kelvin, elder brother Dominic, 15, and younger sister Natasha, nine, will cheer him on from home.

Anyone interested in helping with fund-raising in any way can email Jane at [email protected]