I love birds and I love boats- little ones: canoes, kayaks and coracles. So being one of the Canoe Safari Wardens at WWT Slimbridge is a bit of a dream job for me. When I started I definitely knew more about boats than birds. But time spent at Slimbridge has allowed me to witness the comings and goings of so many different birds and over the years I've realised just how essential wetlands are for Life on this planet. We bang on about saving the rainforest but wetlands are as important as woodlands. I turn 60 in the summer. I thought about having a big party, or doing one of those once in a lifetime canoe expeditions in Canada, or putting together one of those '60 things' bucket lists. Then last summer, I took part in a sponsored walk along the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal. It was only ten miles so to make it more interesting, I did it in my canoe. I'm a seasoned canoeist so it wasn't much of a challenge. I felt a bit bad for the people that had sponsored me to do something so easy for me. I thought, next time I'd do it in a coracle. I'm not quite sure how it escalated but I expect it was during an idle moment at work with nobody but Moira the moorhen to talk to. Moorhens are feisty little birds, seeing off even the biggest cob swan that gets in their way. Yes I'm pretty sure it was Moira the moorhen who suggested I coracle a year for every year I've been alive. And who can argue with a moorhen?

So there it is. I shall coracle 60 miles down the River Severn to Slimbridge. Not quite - I've canoed on the tidal reach of the Severn before and it was an adventure. And not one I would want to have in a boat that makes me look like a pixie in a walnut shell. So I shall coracle down the River Severn to Gloucester and then finish the last leg on the canal.

I'm starting at Upper Arley on 17th April and then aiming to do 5 legs of roughly 12 miles, stopping overnight to bed and breakfast or camp until I reach Shepherds Patch bridge at Slimbridge, hopefully on Friday 21st April.

So I hope you will support me and make a donation to the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. Between now and 17th April I will be out and about on local rivers and canals building up speed and stamina so I can actually complete this birthday challenge. Otherwise, I'm not sure what I will say to Moira the Moorhen.