I finished in 28 minutes and 15 seconds. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Thanks for your support everyone.

On September 13th I will be taking part in the Great North Swim, the country's largest mass participation swimming event. The event itself involves swimming one mile in Lake Windermere along with over 5,000 other swimmers. As an extra incentive to avoid choking, drowning, getting cramp or generally making a fool of myself I am raising money for Revive MS Support.

Many of you will know that my sister Clare suffers from a progressive form of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Multiple Sclerosis ("MS") is a degenerative neurological disease caused by damage to the protective sheath that surrounds the nerve fibres of the central nervous system. As the central nervous system controls the entire body, this means that almost anything can and does go wrong.

Revive MS Support is a charity dedicated to helping everyone affected by Multiple Sclerosis. Their work covers a wide range of information, support and specialist therapies which are designed to make life better for people affected by MS, no matter what their symptoms might be. This includes:

• Physiotherapy
• Aromatherapy
• Reflexology
• Acupuncture
• Oxygen Therapy
• Speech and Language Therapy.

Clare benefits from physiotherapy on a regular basis.
 
Please sponsor me and help Revive MS Support continue to provide the vital service they have for the last 25 years.

• £10 provides someone isolated in their home due to MS with a door to door transport service to the Revive MS Support Centre for vital services, support and social interaction.
• £20 provides 1 person affected by MS with an aromatherapy or reflexology session, which helps to reduce pain levels, increase mobility or reduce spasms and gives an enhanced feeling of well-being.
• £30 provides 1 person affected by MS with essential expert treatment from an MS specialist physiotherapist or speech therapist.
• £50 allows a specialist counsellor and MS nurse to support 2 people who have just been diagnosed with MS, helping them come to terms with the shock of diagnosis and having to live with a degenerative life-long condition.

As a warm up I'm doing the Great Scottish Swim on Saturday, August 29th at Strathclyde Park. If you're in the area come along and say hello.

Cheers
 
Kerry