A TSUNAMI survivor plans to "swim the English Channel" to raise money for the British Red Cross.

Richard Hastie and his wife, Pam, were in Sri Lanka when the 2004 disaster happened and they saw at first hand the work of the charity.

In 2005, they raised £2,500 for the Red Cross, and now the couple, who live in Crouch Street, Banbury, are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary by organising a year-long fundraising campaign.

This month, Mr Hastie is "crossing the Channel" by completing 1,600 lengths of Spiceball's swimming pool - and is looking for sponsors willing to pay £2 a time to guess how long the swim will take.

The person with the correct, or nearest correct, answer will win £20.

Mrs Hastie, a sports massage therapist, said: "To demonstrate our appreciation of the Red Cross, and to celebrate our ruby wedding anniversary, we are undertaking 12 monthly challenges."

They began in January with a sponsored silence with an aim of raising £1,500.

Other events - a curry night and a quiz has taken their total to £2,500, well above the original target.

The charitable couple have more events planned through the year, including a wine tasting evening, a garden party with a barbeque and music, taking part in the London Triathlon, a 12-mile country walk, and casino night.

Mrs Hastie said: "We will finish the year with a ball and charity auction. We hope lots of people will support us to raise a really fantastic figure."