So it was my 43rd birthday last week. Birthdays are always a bit of a reckoning for me.. a chance to reflect on the year gone by and make plans for the year ahead.. and so I decided on a bit of whim to enter the Great Scottish Swim with just 10 days to go! I've got so very much to be thankful for this year and especially for my health and the opportunity to move back home to my roots and family in Holmfirth and this seemed like a truly life affirming action!

The move came about after my grandma, an amazingly resilient woman of true Yorkshire grit, died in May and left me the means (along with some help from my dad) to take on her old house and with it the wonderful gift of stability and security that comes with owning your own home. I feel incredibly grateful for this and so when I realised I could potentially also raise some money with the swim, I looked for local homeless charities and found the Huddersfield Change Project.

Set up by Dave Kennedy, the HCP gives direct help to those who most need it on the streets of Huddersfield and Manchester, people who are either Homeless, sleeping rough or couch surfing, supplying basics such as sleeping bags, foil blankets, food, hot drinks, socks, underwear, deodorant and sanitary stuff, basic stuff to vulnerable people in need, in need of shelter, in need of food and drink, in need of a conversation and a smile or, mainly, all of these. There are many other support groups out there doing good work but I'm supporting HCP as Dave and his team give genuine hands-on support to those on the streets, reaching those who fall outside the systems, no questions, no judgements and also for raising awareness and engaging amazing support from the local community which to me is definitely part of the solution. HCP has an Open day coming up on 16th September and you can find more about their work at https://www.facebook.com/HCPKENNO/

Swimming wise, after dipping into rivers and lakes for the past few years, I decided 2017 was the year to get into 'proper open water swimming' and bought a wet suit. I finally got this on for the first time last week after the post-birthday last minute decision to enter the Great Scottish Swim and I admit that first swim in a wetsuit outdoors was pretty scary! So different in so many ways from swimming in a pool that I was seriously worried.. I felt so restricted, head-down and goggled up in the peaty water I couldn't see anything, and my over active imagination didn't help either especially every time a leaf brushed my lips! Thankfully my dad was around to offer support and cajole me to keep going (so much to be thankful for!) and I'm also so lucky to have the lovely Sparth reservoir nearby, a designated swimming spot thanks to the local community coming together.

So thats the story really, I'm trying to swim most days and feeling more relaxed and stronger in the water each time. I'm just trying not to think of the cold, murky waters of Loch Lomond! It would mean so much to me if you can support me in this whether by donating a few pounds on here or, if you're local, checking out HCP's page and making a donation direct.. and/or just send me your love and support and spare a smile and a loving thought for the next person you see living on the streets. Small things but they can mean so much and I believe together we really can make a difference xx