I am currently training for one of the most difficult swimming challenges in the world.  More people have climbed Mount Everest than have swum the English Channel.  It is the world's busiest shipping lane, it is cold, it is far and there are plenty of jellyfish to add to the fun.

By the time I stand on the shores of Dover to start the challenge I will have swum over 1200km in training, which is more than the length of Great Britain and equates to almost 50,000 lengths of a standard swimming pool.  Check out my blog to see how the training is going.

Quick Facts:  The Challenge

• Distance: 21 Miles / 34 km (in a straight line at its narrowest point)
• Temp: 15 - 18 degrees centigrade
• Average Swim Time: 10-20 hours
• Hazards: Jellyfish, Hypothermia, Debris
• Most Popular Stroke: Front Crawl
• Shipping: Over 600 commercial ships use the channel per day
• Qualify:  to qualify must complete a 6 hour swim in 16C or colder

Quick Facts:  The Rules

• What You Can Wear: one hat, one costume, goggles, grease, earplugs
• No physical contact with boat or any person
• Swim starts: by walking into sea from dry land
• Swim ends: by finishing on dry land

Quick Facts:  The Statistics(at Feb'13)

• World Record Time: 6hr 55min
• Slowest Crossing: 28hrs 44mins
• First Crossing: 1875 Captain Webb Time 21 hrs
• Successful swims:  1,790
• Successful swimmers:  1,335
• Successful female swims: 594
• Successful female swimmers: 424
• Successful male swims: 1196
• Successful male swimmers: 911

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving 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 and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.