A PREMATURE baby from Poole has grown into an iron man.

Ed Wilton from Poole is competing in a gruelling triathlon exactly 29-and-a-half years after he was born 11 weeks premature weighing just 1kg in Poole Hospital.

Having spent the start of his life in the neonatal intensive care unit at the hospital he is now trying to raise £1,500 for it.

Ed said: "Having been a special care baby I owe my life to the expert care and equipment at Poole Hospital, so I decided that competing in a half Ironman triathlon was a fitting challenge to raise funds for Poole's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit."

On Sunday, June 8, he will swim 1.2 miles in Weymouth Bay, cycle 54 miles around Dorset and run 13 miles around Lodmoor Country Park.

He said: "I have been training since February, so I hope all my hard work swimming, cycling and running will pay off on the day. I'm aiming for a finish time in under seven hours but I'll be really chuffed to simply cross the finish line."

To donate visit justgiving.co.uk/ edwardwilton.