Teacher Glen Murdoch has been devoted to fund-raising for cancer research since losing his mother when he was a teenager.

Wilma Murdoch died at 46, just nine days after being diagnosed with cancer.

Since then Mr Murdoch, 30, has undertaken countless fund-raising projects in her honour.

Last weekend he completed his final venture in Sussex, an all-night sponsored swim at Ringmer Community College, in Lewes Road, where he teaches PE.

He has now decided to return to his native Australia but wanted to make one final effort.

He was just 18 when he, his brother and three sisters discovered their mother was going to die.

He said: "We didn't really get a chance to talk to her much after she was diagnosed.

"She went in for an operation and was then unconscious for much of the time leading up to her death. We only had about six hours with her."

Last weekend, pupils rallied round to swim in teams for 40 minutes. The 24-hour swimathon raised more than £600 for the Cancer Research Fund.

Many of the youngsters joined Mr Murdoch during the night stint between 1am and 5am.

He said: "The kids' efforts for the swimathon has been amazing. They have really got behind it and joined in.

"When I sent a letter round about the event, I mentioned why the cause was so important to me personally and I'm very honoured by the children's response.

"Cancer can just rip apart a family. You can forget the good life at home when you've been through something like that."