I have decided to try to swim the English Channel - backstroke -  for Changing Faces, the charity for which my wife Amanda recently ran the London Marathon.

At least 400,000 people in the UK have disfigurements to their face, hands or body, and every year about 3,000 children are born with cleft lips and palates, cranio-facial conditions and birthmarks.  80,000 people are burned or scalded, have cancer of the head, neck, mouth, throat or skin.

Imagine living with such disfigurement in this age of obsession with looks and celebrity: if you have a disfigurement, you might be stared at, bullied and avoided, especially if you are at school or in public.  You may feel isolated and find it easier to hide away, convinced that no one will ever like you and that you will have little chance of leading a 'normal' life.

The work that Changing Faces does complements medical and surgical treatments by addressing the psychological and social challenges posed by disfigurement.  The charity tries to ensure that children and adults with disfigurements have high self-esteem, access to the very best health and social services, and enjoy equal rights and opportunities throughout their lives.

Help me to help Changing Faces.