Son of athlete who died suddenly takes his place in charity challenge

Tuesday 29 August 2023

The son of an "accomplished athlete" who suddenly passed away last month is taking his place in a "gruelling" 20km swim and run – and has already surpassed his fundraising goal.

Steve De Sousa was due to take part in the Swim Run Jersey event on 9 September with his partner, Alexis Dolling, but died "wholly unexpectedly" on 1 July.

This was "despite being super fit and living a healthy lifestyle", Alexis, who met Steve at a Stereophonics concert in 2022 and soon after became his training partner.

Now, Steve's son, 22-year-old Ollie De Sousa, has stepped up to take his place in the pairs event alongside Alexis, and the duo have decided to raise funds for Brightly Jersey, a local charity which helps children and young people through difficult times in their lives.

More than £3,500 has been raised so far, surpassing the £1,000 target, and Alexis said she was "overwhelmed" by the "positive response".

Pictured: Alexis (left) with Ollie (right) training for the Swim Run event next month.

She added: "Over 100 people have contributed, and it's not only the amounts that they've donated which are humbling, but the amount of people sponsoring us.

"There's a lot of love out there for us, and a lot of people are suffering grief as a result of Steve's passing."

She continued: "Steve always used to help other people, even if it was just a word of encouragement, and it was never about him. Their supports reflects his enthusiasm and positivity."

Pictured: Steve De Sousa was remembered as an "accomplished athlete" and someone who "always used to help other people". 

On their decision to support Brightly, Alexis said: "Steve's childhood was very humble and he often spoke with Ollie about the challenges he faced growing up. Steve was a talented footballer and he shared stories of how his teachers had often helped him by providing kit and taking him to matches.

"These helping hands enabled Steve to have these sporting opportunities, representing the school and developing into an accomplished athlete across a number of sports.

"What that teacher did for Steve is what we want to do now, to pay along the favour."

"Brightly is a charity specifically for children and young people in, or on the edge of, the care system and they provide grants to enhance childhoods and enable independence. Ollie feels that Steve would be a strong supporter of Brightly and resonate with the work that they do."

The course around the north coast is a continuous run and swim with five swim legs totalling 4.5k and six run legs totalling 15.5k.

DONATE...

You can click HERE to make a contribution towards the Swim Run fundraiser in aid of Brightly.