If anyone has spoken to me for more than five minutes in the last three years or looked on my socials they will know that at least three times a week I am to be found throwing myself into cold unchlorinated water wearing my swimming costume and a wooly hat. Sometimes the temperature is a balmy 25 degrees but often it's cold, much colder and the colder the better.

Open water swimming has brought me such a lot of joy and through it I have met my tribe. Who knew that people go swimming in rivers in the dark? Who knew that a loopy woolen hat would draw such envious glances? Who knew that where ever you go in the country you can meet up with strangers to swim with? (That sounds a bit odd!) Who knew that getting into a frozen pond is one of the most exhilarating things you can do? Who knew that once you star open water swimming the first thing you think when seeing a pond or river is..'but can I swim in there?'

So now I am taking things a bit further and doing a swim relay lasting 24 hours ... I promise that this is about as extreme as I am going to get... I won't be crowd funding to go to Antarctica to do an ice mile... I won't be asking you to sponsor me to swim the channel...I am just asking for you to give me a very small donation for a fabulous charity that you can read all about below .

Thank you

Joanna

The first splash. The holding your breath. The echoes of laughter. The wet hair. The lifted spirits. The joy of gliding through water. The smile that lasts all day.

Swimming is like nothing else. The skills you develop, the confidence you build and the joys you feel are all universal. Yet access to swimming in the UK is not.

At Level Water, we use the power of swimming to improve lives for children with disabilities.

Everyone should have the opportunity to learn to swim and fall in love with the water.