This June a group of friends and I are swimming the English Channel as a relay. I never ask for sponsorship for any of my swims but as this one is quite special I thought I would raise some money whilst dodging the P&O ferries and container ships swimming to France.

I'm raising money for two things. One is the Centre for Autism and Theology of which I am part of, and the other is for the RNLI in Porthcawl.

Autism is something that is very close to our hearts as a family and many of you will know the challenges we have faced in trying to get Ethan the support that he needs. Many times professionals don't listen to Ethan's voice or have a pre-conceived outdated idea of what autism is. I've been doing research on autism and the church for the last few years with the aim of making church an example of how to be good autistic allies. I am part of a pioneering group at the Centre for Autism and Theology whose focus is on research that has autistic lived experience and autistic voices at the very heart. The centre is made up of autistic and non-autistic people and many of the researchers are autistic themselves, some of whom self fund their research.

I also want to raise money for Porthcawl RNLI. I regularly swim in the sea at Porthcawl which is on the Bristol Channel which has one of the highest tidal ranges in the world, making swimming there quite a challenge at times! The fabulous folk at the RNLI go out in all weathers and although I've never had to use them it is a comfort to know that they are there should I ever get in to trouble (which I hope I never will)!

If you are able to donate something that would be hugely appreciated.