Mark Richards has set himself an aquatic challenge that will see him swim round Cornwall over the next two summers.

He’ll tackle the 470km challenge in bite-sized chunks to say thank you to the Cornish charity that cared for his father-in-law at Mount Edgcumbe Hospice in St Austell.

Mark, who’s about to retire from a career as a civil engineer, said his inspiration comes from the nursing teams who cared for his wife Gill’s father, Peter Saville.

’He was a very brave man and was superbly cared for at Mount Edgcumbe Hospice. He received amazing support, which I was stunned to find is funded mostly by charitable donations. I hope we never need the team there again but our community most certainly will and I really think fund-raising for them is worth all the effort.’

Mark has started the 2017 season, taking his trusty camper van to the end point of each swim, then cycling back to the start, swimming and then driving to collect the bike.

’It’s a great way to see Cornwall up close and personal, he says with a grin.

’I’d be delighted to welcome any serious sea swimmers who’d like to join me on any of the legs too.’

To support Mark’s marathon sea swimming adventure, you can donate on his fund-raising page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/droskynsurfer