THE voice of a North-East man will be heard by billions of television viewers this summer.

Dave Fletcher, of Sedgefield 75 Swimming Club, in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, has been appointed an announcer for the Olympic Games in Athens.

His job will be to announce the names and results for the diving competitions in English.

Two colleagues will announce the results in French and Greek.

The 38-year-old, originally from Crook, County Durham, started his announcing career at the 1988 British Student Sports Federation Swimming Championships, in Darlington.

He said: "I was shoved in behind this microphone because there was nobody else at this particular championships.

"People liked what I did and it has just gone on from there, through the Northumberland and Durham championships, the North-East and the wider region, building up to national competitions."

Mr Fletcher, who recently returned from the European Championships, in Madrid, where he was the announcer for the swimming competition, was delighted with the call-up.

He said: "I was hugely thrilled when I finally got the confirmation and I am really looking forward to it.

"I am a bit concerned because it is a big job and I want to get it right, because it reflects not just on me, but on the whole country."

Mr Fletcher has recently started a job in London for the Department for Education and Skills as part of the schools attendance team.

But he remains a life member of the Sedgefield 75 club and has retained his links with swimming in the North-East.

He will fly to Athens at the beginning of August for a week of rehearsals, before announcing for the two weeks of the diving competition.