Hi all, I’m taking part in BHN’s 21 Miles to Safety campaign.

I’m challenging myself to swim 21 laps (1,050mt!) 21 times between the 1st of June and the 21st of July. This will amount to 22,050mt!

Bristol Hospitality Network is a charity that does amazing work supporting refugees and destitute asylum seekers. Not only it provides a warm welcome to those seeking sanctuary, but it has also been a refuge of friendship and companionship for me when I was fairly new in Bristol.

Here is a bit more about their campaign:

Join Bristol Hospitality Network in our mission to raise awareness and vital funds for refugees and destitute asylum seekers. Take on the challenge of swimming, rowing, or paddling the 21-mile journey across the English Channel, or a time or distance related to the No 21 mirroring the small boat crossings that many brave individuals undertake in search of safety.

Why this campaign

People facing persecution often take unimaginable risks to seek sanctuary in the UK.

The Channel crossing may seem like their only hope, a desperate attempt to escape the nightmares they face.

“It was psychologically not a logical decision, but I had no other choice. Either way I’ll die; either at sea, in France or by going back to Syria. That’s how I found myself in a boat going to England.

At Bristol Network, we’re on a mission to change the narrative around seeking asylum, raise awareness of the challenges people endure, and support those made destitute by the asylum system.