The English Channel is 21 miles long and every day people seeking safety in the UK risk their lives crossing it in various ways. There's no way I could swim that in one go but for a little 30th challenge I'm going to attempt to swim a mile a day for 21 consecutive days. The aim is to raise money to pay for some of the young men I work with at CARAS, who have experienced forced migration and often traumatic journeys, to have swimming lessons.

I was lucky enough to get swimming lessons when I was a kid and used to look forward to Friday night after school swims, the sweets on the way home and getting back tired, to the sofa, to watch Top of the Pops! All these years later, I'm still hooked to the water- Uni friends will remember me sneaking off to the pool the night before important essays were due and my travel companion extraordinaire, Francesca, got put off swimming for life by my daily requests to find a pool if an ocean wasn't nearby! Jokes aside, I've benefited a lot from the calming effects of being in water but recognise how frightened it must also be if you've never learnt.

Many of the teenagers I work with haven't had the same privilege of swimming lessons and I'd like to share my passion and give them the opportunity to learn a new life skill that I hope they'll find it as therapeutic as I do :)

So a little bit about the amazing organisation that is CARAS...

CARAS works to provide a safe and social space for refugees and asylum seekers in south London, ultimately creating a supportive community. Through a range of English lessons, workshops, youth clubs and individual casework support, CARAS aims to ensure that no one faces the asylum system alone. CARAS works from the perspective that people of refugee background are marginalised in the UK and can and do face a complex range of barriers that prevent access to rights, entitlements, opportunities and a good quality of life. The services offered by CARAS are designed to empower beneficiaries by providing information, tools, resources, and opportunities.

Check CARAS's instagram page out here....

https://instagram.com/caras_ldn?igshid=i6x6zf1nex5z