A teenager from Shropshire is set to swim the width of the English Channel this November to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

Joe Costello, who is in year 13 and head boy at Haberdashers’ Abraham Darby, will begin the unique challenge on Saturday, 1st November and hopes to complete the 21-mile swim in a month.

Joe said: “I’m doing this to not only support the people around me living with cancer, but to celebrate other people who have battles with cancer, as well as those who we have sadly lost.

“This is a charity very close to my heart, with cancer affecting many people I know, with some people close to me battling cancer right now.

“I am ready to take on this challenge, which most people try to do in two months, but I am going to push myself to complete it in one.”

Joe is hoping to raise £1,000 for the charity and at the time of writing, has raised £450 so far, with just over a week left until he embarks on his challenge.

This year marks 150 years since Dawley-born Captain Matthew Webb became the first person to successfully swim the English Channel unaided.

You can donate and support to Joe via his online fundraising page.