A Royal Navy officer has set himself a gruelling challenge to help raise the profile of swimming, litter and charities which prevent drowning, all at the same time.

Cdr Mark 'Scotty' Scott decided on a 200-day challenge to swim to or from as many of the UK’s Royal National Lifeboat Institution stations as he can, while raising funds for the RNLI and drowning prevention charity SwimTayka.

He will then litter-pick on the beach accompanied by a toy Womble, the fictional creatures which tidy up Wimbledon Common.

Cdr Scott, a Royal Navy helicopter pilot instructor based at RAF Valley, in Anglesey, has so far completed about 500km of swimming and visited almost 40 of the RNLI’s RNLI’s 238 stations.

He has raised £4,000 for the RNLI and is now fundraising for SwimTayka, which runs free swimming programmes for children in coastal locations where children don’t learn to swim and are at risk of drowning.

Cdr Scott, who is from near Swindon, said: "When I first came to Anglesey, I couldn’t always swim because the sea is rough here, but the plastic on the beaches is horrendous. This is where the Wombling started, so I swim when I can, and also pick up litter when I’m at the beach.

“I’m RAF Valley’s liaison officer with the RNLI, which is celebrating its 200th anniversary, and wanted to do something to support them.”

He is also a trustee for SwimTayka, having been involved with the charity since he joined one of its English Channel relay teams in 2022.

Cdr Scott said: "Eventually, I will swim around all the 238 lifeboat stations, but this 200-day challenge is to reach as many as I can and raise the profile of the RNLI, as well as SwimTayka.”

Bryan Avery, founder of SwimTayka, said: "Scotty is a fantastic supporter of SwimTayka, and we’re so impressed with this challenge he has taken on, which will not only help fund the vital swimming programmes we run but support the RNLI and the incredible lifesaving work they do.”