So here I am, just turned 60 and I’ve decided to swim the English Channel. What on Earth am I doing? 

Like many of us, I’ve taken the ability to swim for granted. It’s something I’ve done pretty much all my life, having had some basic lessons as a child. Our children, and now our grandchildren have the same advantage. They’re pretty much fearless in the water. 

Imagine the devastation to your life if your child drowns simply for the lack of that basic instruction. It kills an estimated 360,000 lives a year. All that potential for a full life lost. All the potential for a life to make a positive change to the world - and heaven knows, we could do with all the brains and creativity we can lay our hands on right now. 

But that tragedy is the reality for so many families around the world; living next to water shouldn’t be death sentence, something to be feared. It should be something to relish and enjoy. 

That’s why I’ve chosen to support Swim Tayka. I’ll be a member of a relay team and we’ll take between 12-18 hours to swim the English Channel in July or August this year. Our actual date will be set by the weather and tides, but in the meantime there is plenty of training to be done. 

We swim with minimal kit; a pair of trusty Speedos (woohoo!), a swim hat and a pair of goggles. That means plenty of training, swimming in the sea from now until departure day. All through the winter, when the water temperature is around the 4-6 centigrade mark. My lowest temperature so far has been 0.7C. I think it counts as a bit chilly! 

The Channel itself will be a real challenge. Those that know say it isn’t a real Channel swim without being stung by jellyfish. Then there’s the flotsam and jetsam. Oh, and swimming across the busiest shipping lanes in the world! 

The swim has been on my bucket list for a long time. The work of Swim Tayka has made me realise what a luxury it is to even have the dream. So please, if you can support me with your sponsorship, not only will I  be grateful, you will be helping to save lives  around the world. 

I’ll keep you posted with training updates - including photos of those winter sea swims - and I’ll be taking up some other challenges along the the way.

Thank you so much

Tim