The first person from Kent to swim across the English Channel has died aged 85.

Michael Jennings, from Hartley, passed away from old age on Monday, January 15 at Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford.

His stepdaughter Cheryl Evans paid tribute to him for his “most wonderful sense of humour” and joked that she wanted to apologise “to anyone who was ever offended by him”.

Michael, a former Royal Marines commando and British swimming champion, made a name for himself as Kent’s first cross-Channel swimmer.

He hit the headlines again in 2020 when his long-lost trophy made a surprise appearance in an Irish charity shop 50 years after it went missing.

Michael had been awarded the accolade of being the first man from Kent to complete the perilous swim and the first to do it that decade, when he managed the feat on August 1, 1960, aged 22.

The silver rose bowl was presented to him by Gravesend Swimming Club later that year.

But it was lost when he and his first wife divorced in 1972.

It was only returned in 2019 after it was bought for just €2 (£1.80) in Kealkill, in County Cork, Ireland, and the buyer, Dave Dineen, set about trying to track down its rightful owner.

As well as this accolade, Michael, who was part of the Channel Swimming Association for 65 years, took part in the 2010 Hellespont swim from Asia to Europe, coming second to 1960 Olympic Gold medallist and one of his life-long heroes, Murray Rose.

His first France to England swim took 13 hours and 31 minutes.

In 1966 he became only the 10th person to swim from England to France and back.

Then nearly 50 years later in 2012 he was invited to be an Olympic torch bearer, an honour of which Cheryl says he was very proud.

As well as his love of swimming, which he continued well into his 80s, Michael was dedicated to raising money for the ellenor hospice which had helped his parents.

“It was a cause very close to his heart,” Cheryl said.

Known to love a challenge, at the age of 73 Michael used his sense of humour to pen a book about some of the most entertaining and unbelievable events of his life.

Marking the 50th anniversary of his first English Channel swim, the book raised £21,121 for the hospice.

Michael, who remained very involved with the Channel Swimming Association, spent the last 10 years of his life caring for Ann after she was diagnosed with dementia.

“It was hard to watch him struggle,” Cheryl said. “He had to learn to cook and do all the things men of his generation were not used to doing.”

When Ann moved into a care home in Hartley after Michael spent time in hospital last year, Cheryl said he had started to make a life for himself without Ann always by his side.

“He and my mum had loved playing petanque at Hartley Country Club and he had always loved squash, so he had just rejoined the social club before he died,” she said, “which makes it even more sad”.

Ann was Michael’s second wife. He took over the role as father to her three children Cheryl, now 67, Christopher, 66 and Paul, 64. “We had known him most of our lives,” Cheryl said.

The couple, who were due to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in November, were the first white couple to marry in St Lucia having slipped away for a private ceremony abroad.

“They had to be resident on the island for 14 days before they could get married,” Cheryl said.

“So they had their honeymoon first and flew home the day after the wedding.”

The family lived in Hartley until Cheryl was 10 years old, before moving to Shorne and returning to Hartley 20 years ago.

She said her parents had an amazing life together.

“Although I am sad,” she said, “I can look back at all the wonderful things my mum and dad did together. They travelled all around the world together.”