A BARROW grandmother braved the chilly waters of Windermere as she competed in the Great North Swim this morning, to raise awareness of a rare cancer.

Wendy Smith, 52, of Portland Crescent, was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour in her lung in January 2015 after a string of puzzling GP visits.

Doctors first thought the grandmother-of-two was suffering from shortness of breath caused by asthma, but her ailment turned out to be something more serious.

She said: "It was complete shock- you hear the word cancer and you just think, how long have I got to live?

"But there are more people living with cancer now than ever before.

"I Know it's a horrible thing but you've got to come to terms with it and you can't let it hold you back."

Every six months, the married mum-of-two travels to Blackpool for specialist treatment where surgeons are gradually removing the growth from her lung.

In spite of her operations, Mrs Smith had been training for her first GNS by swimming a mile a day.

She is also working hard to conquer her fear of the open water.

The three-day event is part of a series of swims taking part across the UK.

Competitors in the northern event will swim in one of seven categories following a route organised around Windermere, England's largest lake.

Distances range from half a mile up to 10K and entrants are colour coded by their hats.

Swims are taking place all day today and tomorrow from 8am, until 2pm.

More than 10,000 entrants were expected to hit the region for the event and those registered for the 10k option are expected to complete six laps around the course.

Just like its counterpart, the Great North Run, entrants must pay a fee and raise donations for a charity of their choice.

A wet suit is mandatory for those entering the icy lake.

Mrs Smith, who has raised almost £500, said: "I'm just a normal person doing what I can.

"If I can help even one person then I will be happy."

She is keen to talk about her cancer and make others aware that there is still so little known about the illness which often mimics the symptoms of IBS and asthma.

Family and friends can watch the action from the banks of Windermere and those taking part from far afield can still find accommodation at Great Langdale Campsite – a 20 minute drive from Ambleside.

You can still donate to Cancer Research using Wendy's just giving page:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Wendy-Smith34

If you're tempted to join in next year find out more here:

http://www.greatrun.org/great-swim/great-north-swim