goodmorning, goodaftrenoon and goodevening!

Thank you for visiting my fundraising page for Solo Swim Across the English Channel in last week of July 2007.

My name is Alimpiada Vladimirovna Cassidy.

I am 28, from Novosibirsk in Russia. I came to the UK in April 2004 and was soon involved in open water swimming.

In August 2005 i did my first relay across the English Channel in a team  of seven girls. We named ourselves "Charlies Channel Chicks". In honour of our coach Charlie Laws, an ex-marines swimming instractor. Our time was 12hr 42mins and we raised £8000 for Breast Cancer Research.

In Septermber 2006 I did my second relay crossing in a team of five boys and 2 girls  "Charlies Channel Seals". We swam it  in 14 hr 2 mins in a very tough conditions and we raised £3500 for Macmillan Trust.

In August 2006 I decided to swim the Channel Solo, from Dover to Calais. If I can do it I would be the first Russian female to acheive this.

The challenge is 22 miles in +15 to +16C water. I have a swimming suit, a swimming cap and goggles, but what I need is your support  and help in order to keep me going.

Please help me to raise £3000 or more for the Association of Chidren's Hospices!

 ACH is to help children and ACH are there to provide priceless support to children and the families of children who aren't going to be lucky enough to reach adulthood like we have.

With Children's Hospices relying so heavily on fundraising, the ACH plays a vital part in helping the hospices to make theire voices heard and keep raising the funds they need, just to stay in existence as well as buying vital equipment in order to care for the very special children they help.

So please help

Please dig deep and sponsor me online-it doesn't matter how little you're able to give because something is always better than nothing. It's me asking for your money but it's thousands of children who aren't as lucky as we are, who will benefit from your kindness.

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Association Of Children's Hospices will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

Thank you again for taking the time to look at my sponsorship page and i hope you'll be able to help.

Alla Cassidy (alla.cassidy@btinternet.com)

 My trainning

3.06.07 it was my first time when i swam 16km in 5h13min in +12.7C (55F) in Dover and next day 4.06.07 8km in 2h25min in +12.7C in Dover. It was very hard but i did it. I am prepareing for the next weekend in Dover and pray for nice sunny wearther.

9.06.07 It was flat and sunny - 14km in 4h25min. 10.06.07 - 7km in 2h 15min.

I am very happy that i appeared in The Mail on Sunday (3.06.07) and hope it's help me to raise more money.

17.06.07 not much 5h 20min in two days.

23.06.07 18km in 5h50min, and again rough. i have spent last week in Deal and swam in that week 52km in total. Feel good and happy.

24.07.07 i am still waiting weather and hope for the end of this week. Thank you for your support. My parents, sister-in-law and my beatiful niece came all the way from Novosibirsk to support me. To see them again after 1.4years, gave me more energy and more happy. We are all going to Deal,Kent where i will wait for my big day and do some 1-2hours swim training.

Thanks again for all your support it's really helping me during my long swims.

18.08.07

I stopped after 14hours and 34min at 11.10pm, get very gold and had bad cramp in my tummy.

The day was not right and my mind was not ready to swim after all day all nigth.

But i am doing it again between 4-12th of September 2007 and i hope that this time evrything going to be better.

I will let you know about it.

09.09.07 big news

I DID IT!!!!

I AM A HAPPY CHANNEL SWIMMER!!!!!!

IT WAS 06.09.2007 IN 13HOURS 07MIN

START AT 05.36AM AND FINISH AT 06.43PM

JUDE LAW YOU WAS RIGHT, THE SUN CAME TO SAY ME HELLO IN THE END OF MY SWIM

LOVE IT

THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT

ALLA CASSIDY