MEET the tree surgeon and his giant inflatable duck travelling along the Thames to raise money for the RNLI.

Tim Dodd-Wilson, a tree surgeon from Woking, is travelling along the River Thames with his giant inflatable duck in a bid to raise £5000 for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

Titled ‘Big Ducks Big Adventure’, Tim and his friend Ros Fernley, are travelling from Lechlade to Teddington, starting and finishing in Wargrave, before returning again all on a homemade raft.

The pair were moored at The Oracle in Reading yesterday and have so far raised £3,250 of their target but are “hoping to smash” this.

The pair are eager to raise money for the charity in memory of the 1981 Penlee lifeboat disaster, which saw 16 people, including eight lifeboatmen, lose their lives after the lifeboat and ship they were trying to rescue were lost.

The incident is close to Tim’s heart as he was in the area at the time of the disaster and “witnessed the devastation caused to a small community just one week before Christmas”.

Tim said the “duck is purely for attention” and is “going down so well especially with boat people”.

The journey is expected to take a month with the pair living onboard the raft which Tim built from a market stall and bookcase 30 years ago.

The raft includes shed with two beds, a kitchen, toilet and solar panels to keep up with social media coverage.

The duck even has its own Instagram page, Tims_big_duck where followers can keep track of her adventure.

The fundraiser’s next stop is the Henley Regatta on July 3.

The team are heading for Teddington Lifeboat Station and will be stopping at Bourne End, Windsor and Weybridge before heading back to Wargrave.

Their “final fling” will be at the Henley Festival on July 13 where Tim revealed the big duck will be “dressed appropriately”.

They will also be at the Shiplake and Wargrave Regatta in August.

If you would like to donate, visit their Just Giving page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bigducksbigadventure.