Simon Ellis, from Pewsey, is currently camping out in his garden to raise money for Wiltshire Search and Rescue.

Mr Ellis had been walking his dog, Rufus, on Salisbury Plain when he came up with the idea for the fundraiser.

He said: "I thought, what would happen to me if something happened here? Who would come get me? Wiltshire Search and Rescue is such an important charity and the volunteers go above and beyond to help, so I thought I'd do what I could to maybe raise a little money."

On the first day of lockdown, he set up a tent in his garden and began his 28-day challenge of spending each night underneath the stars, sometimes joined by Rufus.

Mr Ellis's initial goal of £200 was quickly reached, and so far £2,000 has been raised.

He added: "The first few nights were fairly cold and the wind and rain was really battering on the tent.

"The amount raised so far has been staggering, I really am quite humbled."

It is hoped that money raised by Mr Ellis, 54, can be used for essential kit for the volunteer team such as lighting, medical supplies and radios. His fundraising page can be found at https://uk.gofundme.com/f/simon039s-campaign-for-wiltshire-search-and-rescue

Adrian Sawyer, chairman of Wiltshire Search and Rescue, said, “We’re currently having our busiest year on record, being called out to help Wiltshire Police dozens of times in the same month.

"But even though we’re being called on more and more, we have not been able to do our normal awareness raising activities so our fundraising abilities have dropped enormously. People like Simon, who are putting themselves out to help us, are quite amazing and we really thank him for his efforts.”