Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I've been a little nervous to say this out loud, but I have undertaken to swim the Bosphorus in Istanbul in July. It's a 3.5km swim across a strait of water between Europe and Asia. Despite assurances, my children are generally concerned that I am going to be eaten during the swim. My primary aim however is to make it across without drowning.

As you can see I am raising money for the wonderful CHICKS charity, who make sure children who face very difficult circumstances get a holiday.

Also a portion of any money raised will go to a very small local charity on Lancaster Road, a street where my boys go to school. It's called the 240 project (www.240project.org.uk) and they provide a lifeline to vulnerable and homeless people in the notting hill area with their extraordinary staff and drop-in centre. Please take a look at their website to get a sense of how quietly important and transformative their care and assistance is to many local people.

Please sponsor me and give generously, it will be hugely motivational for me to succeed.

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.

So please dig deep and donate now. Thank you so much.