Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Many of you will remember that last year I swam from the UK mainland to the Isle of Wight. Well this year, with the help of a relay team I/we plan to cover about 10 times the distance by swimming the English Channel! Individually this could be up to three times the distance I swam in last years challenge! We swim for an hour each at a time and then have to keep warm and support our team mates on a boat that is only going about 2 miles an hour, on hopefully not too choppy a sea, or sea sickness could be the hardest part of the event! This is then be repeated and repeated until we complete the distance. Likely to be 3 swims of an hour each over the course of the day, with the possibility that at least one of the swims I do will be in the dark. In fact, as the swim is tide dependant, there is every chance the swim could start in the night.

On or about the 15th July our team of intrepid swimmers will set off from Dover. In a straight line the distance is 22 miles, however, the combination of tides and weather will likely result in a much greater distance being covered. 

As with the swim last year, I am having to acclimatise to cold water and I have been interspersing my many hours of pool training with trips to the outdoor London lidos at times when people wouldn't dream of going to them! I also have three vigorous weekends of training planned in Dover Harbour before the main event. As with last year, I shall only be wearing trunks,  swimming hat and goggles. As will all of us, as in fact a Channel Swim is only officially recognised with such items, wetsuits are not allowed. 

Again I am doing this to raise money for, and awareness of the wonderful work that Aspire does in this country for people suffering from spinal injury. Something that you may recall affects one of my best friends, as he himself is in a wheelchair. Myself and my team mates aim to raise enough money so that Aspire can continue to help those less fortunate than many of us to achieve a better standard of living.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and please give what you can to this great cause. Your incredible generosity last year was received so warmly by this great charity and I thank you again, and in advance on their behalf. Thanks again from me as it makes the cold, dark and murky water so much more bearable when I know that the money raised is doing such good.

Nick x

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