Eco campaigner completes 20-hour Greek island charity swim

Oly Rush set off on the swim around Ithaca at 04:00 and completed it in under 20 hours just before midnight

An eco campaigner has completed a non-stop swim around a Greek island to raise money to support projects cleaning up plastic in coastal areas.

Oly Rush, a former plasterer from Upton in Poole, Dorset, finished the swim around Ithaca in 19 hours, 41 minutes.

He said despite having "sore, smelly armpits and sea sickness" he was "relieved and buzzing."

Money raised from the 37-mile (60km) swim will be used to fund projects to clear up marine litter.

Mr Rush said strong currents, sea sickness, jellyfish encounters, and blustery winds during the swim "tested my endurance"

Mr Rush described the swim as "a relentless battle against nature's elements with strong currents, sea sickness and jellyfish encounters".

"I had a lot of seasickness so I had to dig deep," he said.

"It was really tough but I was going to keep swimming whatever."

Mr Rush said he planned to spend a few days on the island carrying out beach cleans, visiting schools and a football club to to raise awareness about plastic pollution.

Mr Rush is thought to be the first person to swim around the Greek island

He added his swim logs were also set to be sent off for ratification to apply for a world record.

Costs for the record attempt were funded by a Hampshire recruitment firm Green Folk and through support from volunteers.

His previous swims include the length of the Jurassic Coast, covering 100 miles a lap of the Isle of Wight in a record time and the coast of Grand Cayman, in a 37hr world record swim.

To date, his environmental conservation organisation Project Planet Earth has raised more than £56,500 to support projects cleaning up plastic in coastal areas.