A KAYAKING fanatic is getting ready for an 127-foot waterfall drop to raise money for Overton’s community pool on Saturday.

Village resident Scotty Sherwell will be taking on Llanberis Waterfall in Wales for the volunteer-run Lordsfield Swimming Club in a challenge he has been wanting to attempt for years.

The Essex-born carpenter has been kayaking since he was six-years-old and has been to some of the most remote spots in the world including sections of the White Nile.

The 42-year-old said: “About nine years ago I was shown Llanberis Falls by a fellow kayaker, and I fell in love with it and said ‘yeah I’m doing that one day.’

“It came up about the pool and I’m very passionate about the environment, about nature and I’ve always loved swimming and water.

“When I heard about the kids swimming pool, it just clicked.”

Currently Scotty has raised more than £700 in aid of the community pool, with a pub quiz night at the Red Lion bringing in more than £400 on Wednesday.

Scotty is also working with the Lordsfield Swimming Club committee about diversifying the facility to offer playboating lessons, a type of white water kayaking, for children, so they can learn to have fun on flat water and in a “safe environment.”

Club chair Lauren McCann added: "Lordsfield Swimming Club is hugely grateful to Scotty for offering, without solicitation, for the pool to benefit from his amazing kayak run down, we will all be with him in spirit as he tips over the top and descends down to the pool below.

"The club's trustees are still negotiating to lease the pool from Hampshire County Council for the next 25 years - running an outdoor pool is an expensive busines: amongst our expenses this year, we are having to spend money upgrading the pool plant and improving its efficiency, on training more volunteers to staff swimming sessions and covering legal costs incurred in negotiating the lease.

"Scotty is passionate about kayaking and getting young people enthused about activity in the great outdoors - this fits perfectly with the ethos of the club which is to provide affordable swimming to our local community, especially our youngsters."

For the extreme drop, Scotty will be joined by his son Harry, fellow kayakers and avid watchers.

Scotty added: “I can’t wait I’m absolutely buzzing. I’m so excited.

“Llanberis Waterfall is a very technical waterfall, it’s not a normal waterfall at all.

“I’m 42 and I’m still wanting to push my boundaries and take on challenges. There will be a few more to come.”

To donate or find out more about the challenge, go to llanberis4lordsfield.uk.