A FORMER Okehampton resident will swim the length of Loch Ness to help raise money for charity.

Jenny Rice, a third year graphic design student at Kingston University, will take part in the 23-mile challenge in an all-female team of swimmers from the Serpentine Swimming Club, in London.

Jenny, who went to school at Okehampton College and also swam for Okehampton Otters Swimming Club from the age of seven to 20, will swim the lake in August to help raise £50,000 for Afghan Mother and Child Rescue. It was one of the charity's patrons who motivated her.

Jenny told the Times: 'Roddy Jones is a regular early morning swimmer at the Serpentine and the work he does for the charity has inspired the team of women to take up the challenge.

'We are being supported by local pilot, Tom Kent, and his wife, who are very kindly providing their services free of charge.'

Miss Rice said the swim is expected to take between 20 and 25 hours.

She added: 'The current record for a relay swim of Loch Ness is seven and a half hours, set by four Spanish swimmers.

'Training is taking place in the Serpentine and Dover Harbour, but by the summer both of these locations will be much warmer than Loch Ness, which has an average year-round temperature of 5.5ºC.'

The swimmers will complete the swim following British Long Distance Swimming Association (BLDSA) rules, which means they will be wearing only a hat, goggles and a tartan swimming costume in the freezing waters of Loch Ness.

Each person will swim for one hour, starting at Loch End at the north end of Loch Ness, until they reach Fort Augustus at the south end of the Loch.