Former soldier in Portland Harbour liferaft charity challenge

Wayne Ingram, who suffers from seasickness, hopes to raise £20,000 by completing the challenge

A former British soldier is halfway though a challenge to spend a week living on a liferaft in a Dorset harbour for charity.

Wayne Ingram, 45, of Weymouth, hopes to complete seven days and nights in the raft in Portland Harbour for Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital.

The former staff sergeant, who suffers from seasickness, is living on 500ml of water daily and the raft's rations.

He aims to raise £20,000 by the end of the challenge on 25 May.

Money raised will go to the hospital's patient and family support accommodation.

The liferaft has been tethered in the harbour for the challenge

Seasick and claustrophobic

Living in the 1.2 cubic metre raft is proving a challenge for Mr Ingram.

He said: "If you're going to to anything for charity there's got to be an element of discomfort. I like my food, I get claustrophobic and I get seasick - those three things will test me."

He took one meal to the raft for use in an emergency, but because he has had little success fishing from the raft he ate it for dinner on Wednesday.

"It's a lot harder than I thought it would be, but it's nothing in comparison to what the children go through in hospital," he said.

Changes in his body and mind during his time on the raft are being tracked by Portsmouth University's Department of Sport and Exercise Science.

Wayne Ingram started fundraising after meeting Stefan Savic in Bosnia 2003

Mr Ingram joined the army in 1986 as a trooper with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment.

He was stationed in Bosnia after transferring to the 9th/12th Royal Lancers.

While serving there he was among troops who raised £24,000 to bring Bosnian boy Stefan Savic, born with a facial cleft, to the UK for surgery in 2003.

Ten years later he raised £30,000 for further corrective surgery to Stefan's nose.