A JELLYFISH sting and sea sickness were two of the obstacles overcome by a Falmouth student who swam the English Channel last week.

Having waited for the conditions to fall in his favour, James Heslington set off from Dover and completed the 21-mile charity swim in under 12 hours.

The 21 year-old member of Gyllyngvase Surf Life Saving Club told the Falmouth Packet: "The conditions weren't too bad, but the Channel is always quite lumpy and when I was near the French coast, I missed the tide and had to swim further.

"I had prepared myself for being in the water for 13 or 14 hours, so I was okay with the fact that I had to swim for a bit longer."

The Camborne School of Mines student completed his degree in engineering geology over the summer and has since returned to his parents' house in Bournemouth.

He now plans to go to Australia before returning to Falmouth next year to do an Master of Science in surveying, land and environmental management.

"I trained in Helston pool in the winter and then swam regularly from Gyllngvase Beach to Pendennis and on to Swanpool when the water was warmer," he added.

James had food stops en route to France, taking on bananas, powder drinks and even pork pies which he ate whole, so as not to get them wet.

He was also stung by a jellyfish which "caused a tingling sensation" and suffered sea sickness when he returned to England by boat.

"I would definitely do something like it again, but next time I'd like to be part of a relay team, rather than doing it on my own," said James.

He has raised well in excess of £4,000 for The Wave Project, a Newquay-based charity which helps young people to reduce anxiety and improve confidence through surfing.