AN Okehampton woman will swim the equivalent of the English Channel four times over in an effort to raise money for people with spinal cord injuries.

Fiona Dearden is swimming a total of 88 miles at Parklands Leisure Centre to raise money for Aspire, a charity that helps people with spinal cord injuries.

She is aiming to raise £2,500, enough to fund a lightweight made-to-measure wheelchair for a person paralysed by a spinal injury.

Her challenge is an extreme take on the Aspire Swim, a three-month event inviting fundraisers to swim the distance of the channel from September to December 2012.

Fiona started her own challenge in September, and has already swum 22 miles, a quarter of the distance. She is using the challenge to improve her fitness and give herself a fresh challenge.

Fiona said: 'I was really inspired after we took our girls to the Paralympics. We saw Team GB's women in the wheelchair basketball, and David Weir among others.

'My own mum, who had MS, had such an uncomfortable wheelchair that she couldn't use it. Once she was too weak to use a mobility scooter, so she was housebound.

'This will help someone with spinal cord injury get some independence back. I have also been inspired by the kindness of other people to me, and want to pass on their good deeds by doing something myself.

'Most people have been really encouraging, but my effort has been challenged by some. It seems that amazing people like Eddie Izzard and David Walliams have upped the ante, so if I want people to put their hands into their pockets to raise enough for a wheelchair, I had to do more, and so I chose to "cross the channel" four times.'

Fiona's partner Rob Dunn is also taking part, swimming 22 miles, the equivalent of the channel, to support her efforts and aim to raise more money.