A West Kilbride swimmer has crossed the finish line in a year-long that has seen him break multiple world records and raise over $50,000 for charity.

Andy Donaldson, who hails from the village and now lives in Australia, became the fastest person ever to swim the world’s seven hardest channels.

The 32-year-old started his Oceans Seven challenge in August last year, and completed the final crossing in Japan at the end of July.

Andy admits it was a “dream come true” to climb out of the water for the final time after conquering the 19.5km Tsugaru Strait.

He said: “We started this with the idea of trying to do it all within a year, and to make that final crossing in Japan was a good way to finish it off.

“To have completed it feels like a dream come true, because none of this would have been possible without a collected effort.

“To be the first person to do it within a year is extra special, especially as the previous record was well over two years.

“Adding up the time from the seven swims, it is around 63 hours and two minutes, with the previous record as 64 hours and 30 minutes.

“Completing any of these challenging swims is an incredible feat, so to be able to do what we did is a real bonus.”

Largs and Millport Weekly News:

Andy admits is it hard to find to find a particular highlight from the challenge, but says smashing the world record for the Cook Strait will live long in his memory.

He explained: “The swim to Scotland was special as I lived there for much of my life, and it felt like a homecoming in a way.

“However, the highlight would be breaking the world record for the Cook Strait in New Zealand after swimming between the north and south islands.

“All the people I’ve met along the way have been so memorable too, meeting these incredible individuals and getting to know them is the support I really needed.”

As well as the Japanese crossing the Cook Strait, Andy also broke the British record for the English Channel, as well as becoming the first Scottish man to swim from Ireland to Scotland.

He also conquered the Molokai Channel in Hawaii, the Strait of Gibraltar, and the Catalina channel in Los Angeles.

Through his efforts, Andy has raised over $50,000 dollars for Australian mental health charity the Black Dog Institute.

He added: “I am delighted that we have raised so much money for the charity as it is a cause very close to my own heart.

“So many people from around the world have been sending messages saying that I’ve helped to inspire them, which is a great encouragement especially when I was struggling during a crossing.

“The first thing i’m doing now is getting a rest and having a beer, and looking back on the last year and all the incredible people I’ve met.

“A huge shoutout to my mum and to the people of West Kilbride too who have been some of my biggest supporters.

“Whenever I walked down the street in the village people would stop me and say what I was doing was incredible, which was a really special feeling.

“Hopefully it won’t be long until my next swim to raise money and awareness for some more causes that are important to me.”