I shall be taking on a 1 mile cross lake solo swim. My challenge this year is not the tide and currents of the sea, but the depth and cold of lake Ullswater.

I fundraise for SHINE  because my nephew, Harrison, was born with Myelomeningocele Spina Bifida, and Hydrocephalus. Harrison had 5 operations and spent 3 months in St George’s Neo-Natal ICU before finally coming home to meet his family. He is our “Tiny Trooper”.

Harrison will be two in August and is a happy and thriving little boy but he will need ongoing and complex care throughout his life and this is where SHINE’s support is so important to him and his family.

Information from Shine: Our charity is almost entirely funded by the generosity of the general public. Your donation changes lives. It will enable us to provide vital early intervention, support groups, training events, information, reassurance and so much more. "I was diagnosed at 20 weeks. The doctor told me that she had the full spectrum of problems that children can face. I was in shock. I felt all alone, as if someone had died. When we met the Shine support worker, things began to change. She visited us just after (she) was born - we were still taking it all in, but it calmed me down. (She) also has hydrocephalus and had to have a shunt fitted when she was one month old. We have to work hard to keep her well."