<p><span style="font-family: &amp;amp;quot;Calibri&amp;amp;quot;,&amp;amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;amp;quot;; color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thank you so much for&nbsp;taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.&nbsp; As many of you will know, I&rsquo;m attempting to swim the Channel in August 2012 as part of a 6-person relay team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Each team member will be taking it in turns to swim an hour at a time from Shakespeare Beach, Dover, to&nbsp;Cap Gris Nez, Calais</span><span style="font-family: &amp;amp;quot;Calibri&amp;amp;quot;,&amp;amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;amp;quot;; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We're estimating that it will take us 13 hours<span style="color: black;"> to complete the distance, which for those of you that don't know, is just a little over 19 miles at the shortest point. We have to follow strict channel crossing rules, which means that only a normal swimming costume, goggles and swimming cap can be worn.&nbsp; </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: &amp;amp;quot;Calibri&amp;amp;quot;,&amp;amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;amp;quot;; color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I am doing this swim to raise money for Diabetes UK.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I'm fortunate enough not to have diabetes, but my Mum (a healthy woman in her sixties) was diagnosed a couple of years ago and it made me realise just how many people in the UK are living with this condition on a daily basis. Diabetes UK is the leading diabetes charity, and I have committed to raising <span style="text-decoration: underline;">a minimum</span> of &pound;1,250 in sponsorship - &pound;470 of this covers the cost of the event and the remainder of the monies raised will be put to the best possible use by Diabetes UK to improve the lives of 2.9 million people with diabetes in the UK, and work towards finding a cure.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: &amp;amp;quot;Calibri&amp;amp;quot;,&amp;amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;amp;quot;; color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving &ndash; they&rsquo;ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they&rsquo;ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it&rsquo;s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: &amp;amp;quot;Calibri&amp;amp;quot;,&amp;amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;amp;quot;; color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For those of you that know me well, it will come as no surprise that I&rsquo;m attempting a challenge of this magnitude!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span><span style="color: #0000ff;">To find out more about me and my training please read on&hellip;</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: &amp;amp;quot;Calibri&amp;amp;quot;,&amp;amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;amp;quot;; color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I only started swimming seriously three years' ago, so the fact that I'm even entertaining the idea of swimming the Channel seems unbelievable!&nbsp; It all started about a year ago when, after a particularly hard club training session I thought how much I'd like to swim the English Channel. At first glance, there's not a lot to like - cold water averaging 16 degrees (even at the height of Summer!), choppy waves, unpredictable weather conditions, and to top if all, potential sea sickness. "Why?" I hear you asking.&nbsp; Well, I like a challenge and swimming the Channel feels pretty intimidating.&nbsp; In fact, more people have conquered Everest than have swum the Channel.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: &amp;amp;quot;Calibri&amp;amp;quot;,&amp;amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;amp;quot;; color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The next 8 months will see me training really hard. I swim with a fantastic club about 4 times a week and in addition, swim outdoors during the Summer and put in a long distance swim every weekend. In preparation for swimming in cold water, I competed in a number of long distance open water events in the summer of 2011 without a wetsuit, so hopefully I'll be acclimatised to the cold by the time we officially start our relay.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: &amp;amp;quot;Calibri&amp;amp;quot;,&amp;amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;amp;quot;; color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I'll keep you all updated with my progress, and of course, a report on the big day itself!</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: &amp;amp;quot;Calibri&amp;amp;quot;,&amp;amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;amp;quot;; color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">So please dig deep and donate now. Any amount will be greatly appreciated.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p>