Monday 16 May: Delighted to get the first of three legs of this challenge behind me. Completed the difficult Salford Quays course yesterday in about 35 minutes. Water only 14 degrees, a windy day and a turning track! Suffolk next on 11 June.

This year I am swimming for a very small charity which educates children in Sri Lanka. There are two reasons for helping. Firstly, I have previously raised money for some big charities based in Britain and I feel it is time to lend support in a part of the world where there is very little money and there are very few other ways in which these children receive help. Secondly, there is a very specific purpose for raising money so everyone who sponsors me will know exactly how they have helped this community.

St. Elmo Memorial Trust (registered with the Charity Commission No. 1119986) was set up following the tsunami in 2004 and provides Montessori pre-school education and English foreign language classes for children between the ages of 3 and 6 in Sri Lanka. My daughter Georgia spent a month of her gap year in 2010 assisting the teachers at the charity’s school in Mirissa on the southern tip of Sri Lanka. The school is located in the grounds of the Buddhist temple at Bandarmulla 45 minutes from Galle. It is run by the head monk Anomasara Mamadale, known to all as Sara. Find out more about the school here.

Having grown to 127 pupils, the school at Mirissa needs space to expand. If we can raise £10,000 to expand the facilities, the Trust can provide a more suitable environment for their educational needs in this extremely poor part of the country. This will make a huge difference to the life chances of the young people in Mirissa. Your can be sure your donation will be greatly appreciated.

What will I be doing? This year I am doing not one but three of the Great Swims. I start in Salford Quay, Manchester on 15^th May; then comes the Great East Swim in Suffolk on 11^th June; and finally the Great London Swim again on 2^nd July. It is now compulsory for wetsuits to be worn at all Great Swims so no more cold water endurance this time! I

Please give what you can and thank you so much.