In August I hope to take on the English Channel and swim to France. 

As many of you might know, I have spent almost a year preparing for this event. I've spent hours acclimatising to the cold and countless weekends swimming laps of lovely Dover harbour. 

To date, less than 2,000 people have made this great journey and about a third of attempts are unsuccessful. Not only will I be swimming in just my cap, goggles and speedos, but I will be contending with supertankers and jellyfish. 

With these efforts, I am supporting the charity Safe Passage. Safe Passage exists to help unaccompanied child refugees and vulnerable adults find safe, legal routes to sanctuary. Many of these unaccompanied children or young adults end up in Calais. In swimming the 21 miles to France I not only hope to highlight the proximity of our two shores but also the perilous journey which asylum seekers make to cross the Channel.