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Memorial swim held for man who died in fall

Family Photo Wendy Kane with son Jack Berger. She has blonde hair and is wearing a black top and he has dark hair and is wearing a red zip-up jacket. Jack has his arm around his mumFamily Photo
Jack Berger, pictured with his mum Wendy Kane, died 10 years ago

Jack Berger died 10 years ago after slipping and hitting his head while walking his girlfriend to a bus stop.

On Saturday, his mum, Wendy Kane, and Shoreham's Natural Born Swimmers commemorated the anniversary of his death with a fancy dress swim at Sea Lanes pool in Brighton.

It raised money for Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex, which responded to Jack's fall on 5 November 2016, airlifting him to London's St George's Hospital.

Neurosurgeons tried to save the Gavin and Stacey fan but he died a few days later, just before his 22nd birthday.

Wendy said: "I'll have my times where I'm crying but today I'm not going to cry.

"Today is all about Jack and we are going to have fun because he used to love a bit of fun and a bit of dressing up."

Natural Born Swimmers' Charlotte Embleton said she and more than 30 others were going to swim either 1km (0.6 miles) or 3km in fancy dress to give themselves a challenge.

She said: "The last 10 years have been a challenge for Wendy and so hopefully it'll be a nice reminder for all our group of what Wendy's been through and how much we love her."

Wendy Kane in a swimming pool dressed as a lobster
On Saturday Jack's mum Wendy dressed as a lobster at the fancy dress swim

Mobile sales assistant Jack registered as a donor two years before he died and his organs have helped save the lives of four people.

Kane said that at such an "emotionally heartbreaking" time she took comfort in other lives being saved.

She called her son "our hero", saying: "Life will never be the same without Jack and we miss him so very much.

"But we remember that through his life he touched so many hearts and through his death so many lives changed for the better."