AN ENDURANCE specialist is aiming to be the first person to swim from Land's End to John o' Groats.
Sean Conway, 32, a professional endurance adventurer, writer and motivational speaker, is planning to brave harsh and inhospitable seas, shipping lanes, swarms of jellyfish and even killer whales on a 1,000-mile swim in aid of War Child International.
The swimmer is set to embark from west Cornwall's tip later this month and aims to complete the challenge by September, covering the equivalent of a channel crossing every day.
Born in South Africa, Mr Conway has cycled round the world, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro dressed as a penguin and undertaken a number of other extreme fundraisers, but has little experience in the water.
"I can swim enough not to drown but throughout my entire twenties I probably swam a total of three miles," said Mr Conway.
"I wanted to test myself and try something that has never been attempted."
Mr Conway hopes to inspire others to explore and see the world through experiences, but said that when he was growing up he never thought he would do anything of this scale.
"It's like going to the moon – I didn't think I could try this stuff. But I thought actually, I can do this," he said.
Mr Conway, who is currently in training and will practise sea swimming around Land's End, has a target of £20,000, with 100 per cent of profits going to children around the world who have suffered the effects of war.
The adventurer plans to swim into Land's End at 2pm on June 30, where he will join his three-man support crew, meet the public and begin his summer expedition.
If you would like to track Mr Conway's progress by GPS, find out about joining the adventurer on parts of the swim, or donate, you can visit www.swimmingbritain.co.uk
