Adam, David and Chris Irish from Saxon Street will attempt to negotiate the 30 nautical miles of water, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, next month.

"I think the biggest challenge will be the water temperature," said Adam, 28 who works for Morris Armitage esate agents, Newmarket.

"It is about 16 degrees and it's energy sapping.

"We completed a swim from one end of Lake Windermere to the other on Friday as a training session. That was cold but fun and we go down to Dover most weekends to get some sea- based training done."

Adam said that he, David, 27 and Chris, 21, had decided to raise the cash on the tenth anniversary of the death of their uncle who had pancreatic cancer.

If they are successful the trio will only be the eighth group to complete the Channel challenge

During the relay -type event , each brother will spend a one-hour stint in the water before handing over to another.

They have a window in which they can complete the challenge, between August 14 and 18.

"We have been training since the back end of last year," Chris said.

"We collectively swam the length of Lake Windermere (11 miles) in a time of five and a half hours.

"The weather was kind but the water temperature was not and each of us got a true taste of how difficult and demanding the swim to France will be.

"Our training is going well and I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all those who have helped us through the past few months and are inspirations for us during the tedious sessions in the pool."

They are halfway towards their £4,000 target but are appealing to anyone who can help them raise the funds.

To dontate, visit www.just giving.com/Irishbrotherstakeon thechannel.