A UNIVERSITY lecturer from Northwich is taking part in a five-mile pool swim to raise money to fund a photography placement in Africa as part of a wildlife conservation project.

Adam Keen, from Northwich, will take part in the challenge in the University of Chester’s swimming pool to raise £1,500 to partly fund a four-week placement with the award-winning volunteer organisation African Impact in August 2020.

He will be aiming to complete 320 lengths of the 25 metre swimming pool on August 3, 2019 and chose this sport as it helped him to recover following a near-death experience just a few years ago.

Adam said: “My intention is to complete the swim using front crawl and allow turns at the pool wall, but no breaks in the swimming (apart from minor adjustments to goggles and an occasional swig of water). I anticipate the swim will take me approximately three to three and a half hours to complete.

“I started training for the swim in February and estimate that between now and August I will complete approximately 120 miles of swimming.

“I believe swimming is a great form of exercise and I can’t recommend it enough. It has become very important to me in the last three years, playing a significant part in my recovery from a near death experience caused by a ruptured abdominal aneurysm in February 2016 and helping me lose nearly four stones in weight along the way. However, this swim will be a challenge being nearly five times my normal distance.”

The African Impact Foundation raises funds for various projects and initiatives that enrich people’s lives through implementing improved health and nutrition infrastructures, building opportunities for better education, researching conservation issues, creating safe places for children to play and helping to generate sustainable sources of income for families.

Adam, who works in the Faculty of Health and Social Care, has the opportunity to volunteer as a wildlife photographer working on an established conservation project in Kruger National Park, South Africa.

The project has an educational purpose, helping reduce the potential for human-wildlife conflict. A particular focus of the project he will be working for is the conservation of big cats.

The swim is part of a series of fundraising events before his trip next year.

Although Adam will be giving his time for free the money raised will cover costs such as flights, administration and insurance.

To sponsor Adam visit gofundme.com/a-keen-swim