Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page and for taking the time to read this.

The channel is one of the toughest challenge's out there, to give you an idea have you ever exercised for 12 hours? Some of you will be saying yes I've done an Iron man triathlon or double Iron man. Well this is tougher, not that doing an Iron man isn't but the swim for a standard Iron man is 4km this is 35.4km. Trust me the 0.4 will be the worst bit... It is shorter than a marathon but when was the last time you swam that far, in the sea, across one of the busiest shipping routes in the world, where you can't stop or you will sink and you can't grab on to the boat not even for a second. It is starting to sound a little bit tough isn't it? Unfortunately for me it gets harder, the water is cold sub 17Deg C (if you don't know how cold it is get a thermometer and run yourself a cold bath) and there isn't the luxury of a wetsuit to keep you warm. There are waves, tides and (as my colleagues at work constantly remind me) all manner of undersea creatures. That last one is what really scares me...

In 2012 (according to the CSPF website) there were around 50 people that swam the channel so this isn't something that is done by a lot of people. As it is such a big event I have had to start planning this early, slots for 2015 have sold out and 2016 is already limited and it is only June 2014. Not to mention the training that is required to even be able to contemplate getting in the water for that long. I have also started a blog so you can follow my progress, find out why I'm doing this and read more about the pain I'm going through. Goto www.mattstorry.weebly.com

Now on to the important bit...

Every 8 hours someone sustains a spinal cord injury and is told that they may never walk again. Incurring a spinal cord injury is a horrific life changing experience with no warning and no preventative medicine. Aspire is a national charity which offers practical support for those with spinal cord injury. This is done through a range of practical project including adapted accessible houses, specialist computer equipment, practical advice and grants for the necessary equipment for people to lead an independent and fulfilled life.

Please help support me (I really will need your support) and Aspire by donating to my just giving page. 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. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.