I am swimming around the island of Jersey to raise awareness, and funds, for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. That's a 45 mile swim, which will take me around 12 hours in one go. The water will be around 18 degrees,I won't wear a wetsuit and there may be the odd jellyfish or two... it's safe to say it's going to be a massive physical and mental challenge and here's why I'm doing it:

A member of my family has, for the past two and a half years, been dealing with ALS, a form of Motor Neurone Disease -  a progressive disease that attacks the motor neurones, or nerves. We have watched her slowly lose the ability to move and control her limbs - she is stuck in a body that is failing her and now needs a highly complex wheelchair, and uses a computer to talk to us based on eye signals. 

It's always heartbreaking to watch someone you're close to suffer, but even more so when there is currently no cure - the MND funds research to try and find one. If you want to find out more about MND you can see here: https://www.mndassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/mnd-association-key-messages-infographic.pdf