At approximately 0900 hours, on what will probably turn out to be a miserably wet and windy September morning, my good friend Morgan and I will be wading into the Solent strait to embark on an endurance swim to the Isle of Wight.

A few fun facts about the Solent:

1) It is well known for its phenomenally unfriendly tidal patterns.

2) It is one of the UK's busiest shipping lane and contains quite a lot - sorry not quite a lot - A LOT of boats.

Unsurprisingly, swimming in these waters is an activity that is never overly recommended.

However, with the aid of a support vessel and canoeists we will attempt to best these treacherous waters by swimming across the 7km from Gosport in England to Ryde Sands in the Isle of Wight.

In the process of attempting this foolhardy dip we hope to raise awareness, and funds, for one very unique charity, The One Foundation.

Across Africa, The One Foundation have installed over 600 "PlayPump" water systems - specially designed children’s roundabouts that pump water from deep underground. As children spin on the roundabout, clean, fresh water is pumped into a storage tank.

It’s a simple idea but one that is changing the lives of thousands of African children. Instead of walking for hours to collect water, children can go to school and entire communities benefit from access to fresh drinking water. Excess water can be used to irrigate vegetable gardens, giving communities the opportunity to grow and sell their own crops.

 
Your support for this great cause would be hugely appreciated, and if you do wish to donate to The One Foundation then all you need to do is to follow the simple steps on this page.

Alternatively if you do not wish to donate then all I ask of you is to speak kindly to the met man as a sunny, calm crossing would be greatly received...

All the best,

Olly and Morgan