A TEENAGE boy who swam the English Channel at the age of 12 is selling advertising space on his own face to raise money for his next record-breaking expedition – to the South Pole.
Lewis Clarke, from Bishopston, now 14, is hoping to emulate the recent success of two Cambridge graduates who have raised just over £31,000 with a similar ploy.
Lewis said: "I saw these Cambridge students painting their face with brands and I thought it was a good idea as another way to raise money for my trip.
"I'm looking at adventure clothing companies and companies doing outdoor equipment. I hope that once I've got one on there, it will make others want to follow."
Lewis' first advertiser is the BS7 Sports and Fitness Club at Gloucester County Cricket Club.
The advertising revenue that Lewis receives will be used in his bid to become the youngest person to walk the full 700 miles from the edge of the Antarctic continent to the geographic South Pole.
Fifteen per cent of the money will go directly to The Princes Trust, a charity Lewis wants to raise more money for through eventual sponsorship of his Antarctic challenge.
The expedition will take an estimated 60 days to complete and once Lewis sets foot on the ice he will haul his sled for up to 16 hours a day with no days off until the Pole is reached.
He said: "I'll be flying to Chile in November 2013 just after my 16th birthday. From then I'll take an American cargo plane to the Antarctic ready to start the walk.
"I'm doing a lot of training to prepare for it so hopefully I'm going to be ready by then. I do about nine to ten hours a week training.
"I've been to Alaska before where the conditions are similar and we are planning a trip to Greenland for a couple of weeks to get used to it a little more."
Lewis is also using a type of roller-ski to train with, getting his body used to the action involved when trekking across the icy tundra.
Lewis goes to Queen Elizabeth's Hospital School in Clifton and will be wearing the adverts on his face to school.
He said: "My school are happy to let me have them on day-in-day-out as long as what's being advertised isn't inappropriate."
If you want to advertise on the young explorer's face, contact his family via stevenclarke19@btinternet.com.
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