On July 5, after 15 months of training, I swam the English Channel in 11 hours and 30 minutes. With the water temperature averaging 13 degrees and getting as low as 10.5 degrees, I was able to hold off hypothermia for long enough to swim from Shakespeare Beach in Dover to Cap Gris Nez in France.

The cold water, strong tides and the fact that the boat fumes made me constantly throw up made it one of the most challenging days of my life. However it pales in comparison to the challenges that cancer patients and their families face every day, as they swim against the tide of an often overwhelming disease.

Macmillan are an incredible source of support to cancer patients and their families. They fund nurses and other specialist health care professionals, build cancer care centres, give lifts to the hospital, provide emotional support and help with the essentials like heating bills and travel costs.

Macmillan are a wonderful organisation and I'd be incredibly grateful if you could donate to them.

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.