Alan Thornewill will be “Swanning” down the river in his giant Pedalo. Photo Credit: RNLI.
A man from Crawley Down is hoping to raise £5000 for the RNLI in a most unusual way.
Royal Navy Veteran Alan Thornewill is aiming to travel from the head of the River Thames in Lechlade, Gloucestershire to Teddington Lock in London using a pedalo!
The 126-mile gruelling journey is expected to take 6 days and will include a total of 43 locks as he undertakes the challenge.
If that wasn’t enough, once he reaches dry land, the pedalo’s crew is then going to push the giant swan feature to the annual Army versus Navy rugby match at Twickenham.
Operation Ruby Jack as it’s called happens to coincide with Alan’s 60th birthday and also marks 40 years since he joined the Royal Navy.
Anyone who would like to donate to his cause can find out more details by clicking on his fundraising page here.