A DOG lover is attempting to walk the River Thames in 15 days with 15 canine companions.

Oxford University graduate Chris Wood set off from the Thames source in Wiltshire on September 20, and walked through Oxfordshire this week.

Each day of his walk he has been accompanied by a different dog or dogs, borrowed from a variety of friends and supporters.

He is aiming to clock up a total of '500 legs' on his walk, made up of dogs, humans and any other animals that wish to join the fun.

However he is still looking for more dogs (and owners) to join him for a few hours on the rest of his route, and has asked anyone interested to get in touch.

After completing the first stint of his trek and reaching Oxford in five days, Mr Wood took a break to recover.

He set off again from North Abingdon on Thursday and in 36 hours made it past Wallingford.

Mr Wood is taking on what he admits is a slightly 'bonkers' challenge in of a new charity of which he is a trustee.

Mast Cell Action supports sufferers of a little-known disease called Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) in which sufferers' immune systems have sometimes violent adverse reactions to basic everyday activities such as eating and exercise.

Sufferers often struggle to find treatment for the frequently undiagnosed and disabling disease.

Mast Cell Action works to raise the profile of the disease and support its sufferers.

To get involved with Mr Wood's walk or find out more about the charity go to mastcellaction.org/500-legs