During the restrictions of 2020 I decided to take on the Gold Polar Bear Challenge to raise money for the Samaritans and the Colchester Buddhist Centre. In total I raised £2588.80 to support the excellent work of these charities.

As an ordained member of the Triratna Buddhist Order I have helped support many online meditation classes as well as sessions to help people look at life in a different way. These have all been run by the Colchester Buddhist Centre.

Then in June 2021 my Dad died following a short but heroic battle with cancer. I hadn’t planned to swim during this winter, at least not for charity, however I was so impressed with the support from SinglePoint, a part of St Helena Hospice that I decided to take the winter plunge once more.

So from 1st November to 31st March I will be taking part in the Arctic Polar Bear Challenge. I will be raising money for St Helena Hospice and the Colchester Buddhist Centre. This is an organised event run by the extraordinary Pauline Barker (known affectionately as Mama Bear).

I will be swimming 250 metres twice a month in the sea and completing 3000 metres minimum total distance every month during the challenge period, wearing just my usual trunks, single hat, googles, noseclips and earplugs. 

All swims need to be reported to the organisers and you can check my progress at the official online swim list.