SIXTY-EIGHT-YEAR-OLD Okehampton local Janice Elson will complete a sponsored mile-long swim next week to raise money for two dog rescue organisations.

Dog-lover Janice will donate the money to the group at which she helps out, Saving Cavaliers UK, and also the charity Forest of Dean Dog Rescue. Both organisations are currently short of funds and fear they will soon be unable to help any more dogs.

Janice said: ‘Last week we had to turn away 11 cavaliers because we couldn’t afford to tend to them. I used to swim as a kid and wanted to get back into it. However, I was unsure about going, so my niece suggested we go together and when I realised the charity was struggling I decided to raise money and get fit.’

She started training seven weeks ago and can now swim three-quarters of a mile.

She will complete the swim on Thursday, October 28 at Parkland Leisure Centre which she said has been ‘incredibly supportive’.

Saving Cavaliers UK (SCUK) is a Facebook group dedicated to saving Cavalier King Charles spaniels in need of a home. Many of the dogs who arrive are ex-breeding dogs or dogs sold on the advertisement and community site Gumtree. Both Forest of Dean Dog Rescue and Saving Cavaliers UK focus on placing rescue dogs in foster homes before adoption instead of kennels or rescue shelters.