Thanks for taking the time to visit my justgiving page. 

In the summer of 2023 I will be swimming the English Channel from Dover to Calais as part of a relay team of six with five of my Moore Barlow colleagues. 

The distance between the two is roughly 22 miles. Each member of the team will do an hour stint until you reach France.  Each stint must be the full hour and at that time you are swimming alone in the sea - a team mate cannot come and help you in your hour if you are struggling. You have to complete your full hour otherwise the whole team is disqualified. 

Considering that I haven’t been properly swimming in a pool for over five years and hate the cold, this challenge is going to be testing. Just to qualify to do the swim you need to spend an hour and a half in the sea in Dover harbour, get out for an hour, then go back in for a further hour, oh and the sea cannot be above 16 degrees and you can only wear a swimsuit. 

The rules are strict for an official Channel crossing: no wetsuit can be worn during the swim, as this wouldn’t be an official Channel crossing. Add to this my fear of sea animals - especially jellyfish. Apparently it is not uncommon to be stung during your swim! Oh and the fact there could be sharks! Add to the coldness the sea sickness from being on a boat in the middle of the Channel. 

As a team (the Moore Barlow Eagles) we are aiming to raise at least £10,500 for Aspire. Whilst this is a team targe, we’ve each set an individual goal of £1,750. 

Aspire is a national charity that provides practical help to people who have been paralysed by Spinal Cord Injury. A spinal cord injury can happen to anyone at any time, and no one is prepared for how it will change their life. People with Spinal Cord Injury will lose muscle and sensory control and a large majority will become full time wheelchair users for the rest of their lives. Historically, the majority of spinal injuries have been sustained by those aged 21 to 30, with nearly three quarters of new spinal cord injury patients being male. 

Through its projects and programmes, Aspire offers practical support to the 50,000 people living with a spinal cord injury in the UK, from newly injured spinal cord injury patients in hospital and throughout their lives. 

We would appreciate any donations to this important cause!!