I am swimming the Thames Marathon, which is 13km or 8 miles, (522 lengths of a pool) between Henley and Marlow. I am doing it to raise money for Surfers Against Sewage, who campaign to stop plastic and sewage pollution in our seas, rivers and lakes. 

Sadly most of the rivers in the UK are impacted by sewage discharge, many of them regularly and severely. This is obviously terrible for the environment and a risk for people who swim, sail, kayak, paddle board, row or fish in our rivers. 

The closest sewage outfall to where we live and swim in South Stoke is from the Benson treatment plant. Due to a lack of investment and increase in population, this works spilled raw sewage into the Thames 51 times for 870 hours (36 continuous days) in 2021. 

I want my children (Isla 5 and Jamie 2) to be able to paddle or swim in the river without having to worry about if recent rain has been heavy enough for Thames Water to dump poo in the river.

Surfers Against Sewage is in my opinion one of the most efficient and effective campaign organisations, with a small staff, but with huge impact. They create campaigns that resonate with people and make national news. Our company, Non Plastic Beach is a corporate donor to them, as well as fund raising for them privately. 

My aim is just to finish, my training has been far from ideal with getting severe shingles and covid in February leading to 2 months out of the water and a huge hit to my mental and physical health. I am determined to make it through, but beating the cut off time is my main aim!

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.