Aspire helps people sustain an independent life after spinal cord injury. To help them do this I will set off from Dover at the end of June. At some point in the next 12 - 18 hours my relay team and I will hopefully reach France. I have paid the costs of the crossing myself - that's the boat, the captain, the insurance etc - so EVERY penny you donate will go straight to Aspire

The swimming will be difficult enough. The real challenge will be the  jellyfish. And the sea sickness. And the cold  - it will only be around 12 - 14 degrees that early in the summer -  no wet suits are allowed, and apparently you don't really get to cover yourself in goose fat. Not all that keen on the ferries either. 

I am assured by the wonderful people at Aspire, who organise this challenge every year, that I will feel fully acclimatised to the cold and will be happy to be so far from shore by then.  Here is a film made of one of last years' crossings that's helping to keep me motivated https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg-qFn69iCs

To get ready I'll be training a lot in Dover in the coming months, and getting into cold water as often as possible - including 6am swims  in the Serpentine.

What would help motivate me to get into the cold water is lots of lovely lolly so that I can't chicken out. And remember -  EVERY penny you donate will go straight to Aspire to help with the great work they do for people who suffer  spinal cord injury. Having met people who've been helped by Aspire it is clear that the right support at the right time can help someone continue living an independent life : the right equipment, the right housing and the right support makes all the difference.

Please do donate if you can - whatever the amount. I do appreciate we all get asked a lot but anything you can give will help.

Thank you! Polly

About Aspire

www.aspire.org.uk

Every eight hours someone is paralysed by a spinal cord injury.

Aspire is an inspirational national charity that provides practical help to people who have been paralysed by Spinal Cord Injury; it can happen to anyone at any time and no one is prepared for how it will change their life.  Aspire exists because there is currently no cure. 

The individual affected will lose muscle and sensory control and the vast majority become full time wheelchair users for the rest of their lives.
Historically, the majority of spinal cord injuries have been sustained by those aged 21 to 30, with nearly three quarters of newly injured people being male, although increasingly it is affecting older people too.

Through its projects and programmes, Aspire offers practical support to the 40,000 people living with a spinal cord injury in the UK so that they can lead fulfilled and independent lives in their homes, with their families, in work places and in leisure time.