We four took up open water swimming with one simple aim; to raise funds to fight cancer. It all began with what felt like an endless 1 mile swim around the Serpentine in Hyde park. Four years later we are attempting to swim over 10 miles around the Island of Alderney in the Channel Islands, an island renowned for its strong tides and currents. Once again we will be raising money to fight cancer, funding research into those that affect children and young people. Cancer has impacted the lives of each of us (and doubtless all of you reading this). One of our party recently lost his mother to cancer, another is currently undergoing treatment for lung cancer. What better motive to puff and pull through many hours of swimming. As we go we will also be donating money to the Alderney Wildlife trust, a charity which protects the unique biodiversity of the island we are attempting to make it round. With luck we will see some of the rare birds and sea mammals that it protects.

Suffice to say your donations will be fuel for us exhausted, cold, amateur swimmers. More importantly they will save precious young lives and make their treatments easier to bear.