I'll be swimming the English Channel as part of a team to raise money for swim Tayka to help their work, proving free swimming lessons and drowning prevention education to underprivileged children who live along the earth's open waters: rivers, lakes and oceans. By teaching children in these areas, the can teach generations to come to avoid these preventable deaths.

Drowning is a silent epidemic that claims an estimated 360,000 lives every year, many of them children.

Drowning is the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide. These are wasted lives and preventable deaths. SwimTayka's mission is to give disadvantaged communities around the world access to swimming teachers who can not only provide the life skills of swimming but create a legacy for today's children, who will grow up to teach the next generation.

I can barely swim a length of front crawl, and will have to cover many miles. This will not be an easy challenge! We will encounter waves, currents and jellyfish. We are not allowed to wear wetsuits, shoes, gloves or anything with thermal properties.

I will need to gain weight to stay warm in the cold water, but I don't need fundraising for that but might need friends to eat cake with, and some good recipes for cake.

Please sponsor me for this great cause and mad challenge.