<p>Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.</p> <p>This year I have set myself a totally different charity challenge!!</p> <p>My very good friend (and guest-house owner) Angela Clark of Banerigg - on the shores of Grasmere in the Lake District - is hosting a charity swim on June 26th 2011 in aid of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Angela is a long time supporter of the CF Trust - and donates a sum from every booking at her guest house to them. She has a young niece who suffers from the terrible effects of Cystic Fibrosis.</p> <p>The swim will take place in the icy waters of Grasmere - where a number of swimmers will attempt to swim the distance of the English Channel in relay over the course of the day.&nbsp; I used to be a very strong swimmer - until my own operation meant that I cannot raise my left arm over my head any more - and so this will represent a significant challenge for me especially in open water with a strong current... I'm in training right now!! :-)</p> <p>Please give as generously as you can to this - I've set my target at &pound;500 - but would dearly love to double that...</p> <p>Heres a little info about Cystic Fibrosis for you...</p> <ul> <li>Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is one of the UK's most common life-threatening inherited diseases.</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Cystic Fibrosis affects over 9,000 people in the UK.</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Over two million people in the UK carry the faulty gene that causes Cystic Fibrosis - around 1 in 25 of the population.</li> </ul> <ul> <li>If two carriers have a child, the baby has a 1 in 4 chance of having Cystic Fibrosis.</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Cystic Fibrosis affects the internal organs, especially the lungs and digestive system, by clogging them with thick sticky mucus. This makes it hard to breathe and digest food.</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Each week, five babies are born with Cystic Fibrosis.</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Each week, two young lives are lost to Cystic Fibrosis.</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Around half of the CF population can expect to live over 38 years, although improvements in treatments mean a baby born today could expect to live even longer.</li> </ul>