The Thornbury Rotary Swimarathon has been a big fundraising event which has raised in excess of £500,000 for charity in the past 30 years.

As this year’s President of Thornbury Rotary I wanted to play my part and join in the fun. I enjoy snorkelling when on holiday so surely I could swim a few lengths, couldn’t I? I thought I might need a little practice, but my first attempt was a stark reminder that it has been over 20 years since I did any proper swimming in a pool and that whilst I might be fit enough to run around a tennis court, when it comes to swimming lengths I am way out of my depth!

So, I have enlisted some family and friends to help me tackle the Swimarathon challenge. The President’s Paddlers team are aiming to raise as much money as possible for my two charities - The Friends of Bristol Oncology and Haematology Centre and the Thornbury and District Stroke Support Group. I am sure many of us will have friends or family members who have been affected by either cancer or strokes and these two local organisations provide wonderful support for those affected. I want to provide as much financial assistance for them as possible.

My goal for the team is to raise over £1,000.

Pledging your support will encourage my team and me to train and rise to the Swimarathon challenge on Saturday 8th March.

Thank you