Swimming has always been part of my life and I feel very confident in the water thanks to 10 years of synchronised swimming. I used to train every day, at times twice a day, up to 8 hours in the water, to prepare for national and international competitions. My biggest achievements include being National Champion for France as a team and duet for several years, ranked 4th in solo and entering the French National Team at the age of 15.

After these episodes, I have had enough of it and decided to pursue university instead. I enjoyed going to the pool every now and then but going to the water (despite the fact it is at 27 degrees in most pools) felt like an unnecessary pain after remembering all those years being cold for hours during training.

Finally I took on swimming seriously again in September 2020 as part of a disability swimming club in London (WeSwim) and this has taken me in a journey to open water swimming as the pools closed because of Covid-19. Looking for a challenge, I signed up for this relay Channel swim in which I'll swim with 5 other team members (we all swim one hour in turn until we reach France, which should take between 12 and 17 hours). To prepare, I have had to drop the wetsuit (the rules only allow standard swimming costume) and swim regularly in the Serpentine in London as well as in the seaside in the UK.

Although swimming is something I have done for years, the real challenge for me is the cold water because I start shivering after less than 15 minutes and I have to fight mentally and physically against this, the risk of hypothermia is real. Other things that make me uncomfortable include swimming at night, being stung by a jellyfish, being seasick (while swimming or in the boat) and being in the middle of the sea, surrounded by ferries and tankers, without seeing the bottom.

I think I can overcome those for a good cause, which is why I am fundraising for COSMIC. The charity supports critically ill children and babies at St Mary's and Queen Charlotte's Hospital in London. The funds go towards research, family support and parent accommodation, training for nurses and doctors and equipment. Not only has the pandemic affected their ability to fundraise, but the staff on their units also need more support from the charity. That's why this year the money you raise is even more crucial than ever, so thank you so much.

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.