I'm saying 'farewell' to fizzy drinks, 'bye-bye' to beer and 'laters' to lattes - drinking nothing but water for 2 weeks to raise money for the RNLI.

I'm a crew member on Chiswick lifeboat, one of the four lifeboat stations positioned along the tidal Thames in London. Chiswick is the second busiest lifeboat station in the UK (after Tower in central London). Around the UK and ROI, the RNLI rescues on average 23 people every day of the year - I always think of all those people's families and friends, as well as the person themselves; and that gives me all the motivation I need to work hard both on my training and whilst on duty.

The training we receive from the RNLI is first-class. In my day job I work for the British Red Cross, based in central London. When I'm on lifeboat duty, I travel straight from work, do my 12-hour overnight shift at Chiswick and get the train straight back to the City the next morning. There have been a couple of times when travelling to and from a lifeboat shift that I've put my RNLI training to use, to offer first aid to a fellow commuter. This is something I could not have done before joining the lifeboat crew, and I'm very grateful to the RNLI for the care and rigour that is put into our training.

This challenge is going to be tough - I have a ritual of starting my day with a cup of tea, and will definitely miss my beer at the weekend! But fundraising to help this incredible 24/7 rescue service will definitely be worth it.

If anyone sponsoring me would ever like to come and see the lifeboat and station at Chiswick, I'd be delighted to show you round! :-)