CHRISSIE Flood is going to great lengths to raise cash for charity: a staggering 6,144 to be exact!

For the Tottington businesswoman is swimming the equivalent of the English Channel from the comfort of the pool at Bury's Village Hotel.

And she has adopted a strict "swim every day" regime to enable her to complete the equivalent of 96 miles by December.

Chrissie explained: "I am raising money for the charity ASPIRE, which helps people with spinal cord injuries. They were looking for people to swim the equivalent of the English Channel.

"Dover to Calais is 22 miles, which I thought was far too easy. So, instead, I decided to swim the equivalent of a Portsmouth to Le Havre crossing, which is 96 miles. I thought that would be a proper challenge."

Early bird Chrissie (47) is carrying out her marathon swim at the hotel's leisure club pool seven days a week, beginning at 6.30am each day.

"I've got 12 weeks to do it and hopefully I should be able to complete it all by December 7. I swim each morning: Monday to Friday doing a mile a day, while on Saturday and Sunday, when I'm not working, I swim a mile and a half."

She added: "It is a very tough schedule. It's not that I've lost my marbles but the fact I have a stubborn streak in me and the need to really push myself."

Four years ago Chrissie, who sells pharmaceuticals and equipment to veterinary surgeries, undertook a sponsored swim for Bury Hospice and raised £500. She suffers from bad back problems and swimming was recommended by her doctor.

She is being sponsored by her friends and colleagues for her latest marathon. "I don't know how much I'll eventually raise for the charity. But hopefully, it will be around £1,000," she said.

ASPIRE (Association for Spinal Injury Research Rehabilitation & Reintegration) works with people with spinal cord injury to create opportunity, choice and independence for disabled people in society.

Anyone who would like to sponsor Chrissie can send cheques, made out to ASPIRE, to her home at 28 Victoria Street, Tottington.