A PUB landlord is planning to complete an epic charity voyage along the River Thames in Oxfordshire - by punt.

John Bellinger, landlord of The Bell Inn at Adderbury, is planning to punt from St John's Lock in Lechlade to Henley - a distance of more than 80 miles.

Mr Bellinger, 53, was originally planning to use a pedalo, but after failing to find a suitable craft, decided to take up a friend's offer of a punt.

He admitted the furthest he had ever punted in the past was just over a mile, but said he hoped to cover 12 miles a day.

Mr Bellinger said that in 30 years of punting he had never fallen in, but added: "On Sunday, I took the staff out for an outing as a thank you for their hard work and took them punting, and, just before we got back to the boathouse, somebody rocked the boat and I fell in for the first time.

"I am thinking of doing a sweepstake for people to guess how many times I fall in to raise a bit more money."

advertisement Mr Bellinger, who sets off on Sunday, June 22, hopes to raise £2,000 for Adderbury hospice Katharine House. He has previously cycled around all the Hook Norton Brewery pubs in Oxfordshire to raise £4,500 for the hospice.

Mr Bellinger is now looking for someone with a small cabin cruiser who could act as back-up and provide somewhere to sleep.

He said: "The punt is 96 years old and it is worth looking after, so I don't want to be too far away from it overnight."

Mr Bellinger said he hoped working in the pub cellar would get him into shape, but added: "Normally the day after punting you start to feel aches and pains, but I think once I get going my muscles won't have time to react to it."

He is also inviting people to bid for a daily crew place on the punt at an auction in The Bell on Saturday, May 31, with crew members encouraged to find sponsorship.

Anyone who can help can call Mr Bellinger on 01295 810338 or email info@the-bell.com, or, for sponsorship, visit the website justgiving.com/puntingchallenge