Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

So in a moment of madness, I decided that swimming 1 mile was something I needed to tick off my list. Choosing the Thames for this challenge instead of the warm, clear blue waters I'd originally envisaged was clear insanity.

It is of little comfort that the organisers assure us that it is one of the cleanest metropolitan rivers in the world due to the fact that its tidal but since there could be a lot of book-talking there, I intend to wear a full wet suit and keep my mouth firmly shut.

Having spent a few Saturday mornings in a freezing cold lake near Guildford at 6am, I soon realised that the only way I could be sure of following this through was if I did it for a worthwhile cause.

So whilst I would fully expect your donations to reflect the fact that its only a 1 mile swim and not a marathon, I hope you will agree that the charity is a very worthy cause.

London is the 6th richest city in the world yet 4 in 10 (650k) children live in poverty. Help a London Child provides financial support to grass-root projects working with London’s less advantaged children and young people. To read more http://www.capitalfm.com/charity/how-halc-works/about-us-help-a-london-child/

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.