Fundraiser due to start round-island solo swim

Dave Higson has raised £3,800 for charity Isle Stand Up to Suicide

A fundraiser is set to begin a 96-mile (154km) unsupported swim around the Isle of Man in aid of a local mental health charity.

David Higson is due to set off at 7:00 BST from the Port St Mary lifeboat slipway for the attempt to complete the feat by the beginning of next week.

Mr Higson will spend the next six days swimming around the island in a bid to raise £5,000 for Isle Stand Up to Suicide, after taking up open water swimming after the his son took his own life in 2018.

He said he had been waiting for the wind to subside before he could set off, and due to family circumstances it felt like it was "now or never" to complete the challenge.

Dave Higson will tow a raft containing camping equipment, food, water and other supplies

Mr Higson had been waiting for a five to seven day window in the weather during August to undertake the swim, but fell ill at the beginning of the month, which put him "out of action" for about a week.

He said he needed wind speeds of below 10mph (16km/h) to embark on the challenge, and with the wind was "due to die down a bit" over the next few days, he was hoped to complete the challenge by "Monday or Tuesday" next week.

While he had been hoping to swim with the tides for each leg, he said if he got to a stage where he was running out of time, he may have to go against the tide to "make up the distance".

Mr Higson is taking on the swim alone in six hour stints, without continuous support from kayakers or paddleboarders, and towing all his equipment, which weighs about 220lb (100kg).

He said he now "couldn't wait to get started" and was "ready to go".

"I am just going to give it my best shot, I know I can do it", he added.

His journey can be followed through a live GPS tracker.