People move. Whether it's down the road, to a new town or across a border, people have always moved, and always will. Sometimes it's for love, sometimes it's to seek new opportunities. Sometimes, it's to save your own life. Whatever the reason, people who move deserve to be treated with dignity.

Sadly our current system is the opposite of dignified. Our nightmarish immigration rules push people out of status and into the Hostile Environment - that means no access to healthcare, no right to rent a home, no right to work. Essentially, not having the right piece of paper in your passport means not having the right to live. 

It's been this way for much too long - and now, with its nasty Borders Bill, the Government is planning to take away even more rights from people who move.

So, there's a lot of work to be done! I'm proud to work for the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, which fights every day for the rights of people who move. And I'm hoping to raise us some extra cash too! Since this Government likes to make things an uphill struggle, I've chosen a challenge that involves not a single hill: kayaking from the west to the east coast of England (from Liverpool to Goole). 

The plan is to paddle 167 miles (we'll see...) along the Liverpool Leeds canal. You might be wondering about the crap Photoshopped newspaper cover above. Well, the canal I'll be using was funded by the owner of the Daily Express, an absolute gentleman who makes millions off of demonising people who move, and then donates it to UKIP. So I thought: what better way to make use of this lovely waterway than to raise some money for migrants' rights? Thinking about this will, I hope, make each paddle stroke a delight. 

Flippant jokes aside, it can be hard to know where to start and how to resist at a time like this. If you have any spare cash, that really can help. Our lawyers work tirelessly to stand up for people who, without free legal advice, would often have nowhere else to turn. Oh, and we lobby MPs and sometimes take the Government to court too. 

If donating isn't possible right now, you can still MASSIVELY help by sharing this page on social media. There are also so many other ways to get involved in the fight for migrants' rights - check out www.jcwi.org.uk/resist for a handy toolkit on ways to resist the Hostile Environment.

So so grateful for each and every donation, share, or word of advice for this novice kayaker (honestly, haven't kayaked more than 2 miles before). I will try to reward donors with tips on the best places to buy carbohydrates between Liverpool and Goole. 

Thank you, so much love xx