WATERSPORT enthusiasts swapped canoes for giant inflated 'doughnuts'.

Canoeists jumped into lorry tyre inner tubes and paddled furiously down the River Thames for charity.

They might not have been as speedy as canoes, but the 27 rowers still managed to complete the two mile stretch.

Aged between seven and 70, they added to the fun by dressing in costumes and showering each other with water guns.

The members of the Swindon and District Canoe Club are now counting up how much was raised for the Royal National Life Boat Institution. Matthew Bowman, 47, who took part, said: "We looked very silly, and the tubes are hard to paddle.

"But the cool water was a great relief from the summer heat, and nobody minded the thrills and spills which are all part of the event."

Having completed the route between Inglesham Farm and Lechlade Park in two hours, the exhausted team recovered with a riverside barbecue.

But they couldn't stay out of the water, and returned in the afternoon for a series of canoe tests.