A lifeguard has taken on a marathon swimming challenge in honour of her dad who died from a brain tumour.

Samantha Arscott, of South Bank, Staplehurst, will be averaging 60 lengths or 1,500 metres a day, for the whole of February – totalling 26 miles.

She was inspired by her truck driver dad Clive Singleton who died in January 2017 at the age of 57.

The boatsman from Cornwall was diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM) two years before after experiencing "a bad headache he could not shake" and a pain on the side of his head.

Samantha said: "Brain tumours are awful because they really chip away at who a person is. Their personality slips away completely.

"We felt like Dad was gone long before he passed away."

A GBM is an aggressive and incurable tumour which can develop on the brain or spinal cord. They are fast-growing and one of the more common types of cancerous brain tumours in adults.

Samantha is now taking on the challenge to raise money for the charity Brain Tumour Research. You can donate here.

The 30-year-old added: "Not enough is known about brain tumours and research into them is severely underfunded, which is why I support Brain Tumour Research.

"Doing this challenge for such a great cause gives me massive motivation to get it done.

"Inevitably, there are going to be a few days I will not be able to swim and so I will have to double up on some of the days I do to make sure I complete it in time.

"I only came up with this idea in January, so I have dived straight in, so to speak. I have also picked the shortest month to complete this, but I do love a challenge."

At the time of writing the executive assistant, at recruitment firm Odgers Interim, had raised more than £2,000.

Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: "Clive’s sad story is a stark reminder of the fact brain tumours kill more men under 70 than prostate cancer.

"They also kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet, historically, just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.

"We are determined to change that but it is only by working together we will be able to improve treatment options for patients and, ultimately, find a cure.

"We are really grateful to Samantha for taking on this marathon swim challenge for us and wish her the best of luck completing it. Together we will find a cure."