Earlier this year during one of the lockdowns, a friend of mine, Tom White, had the crazy idea for the two of us to swim the English Channel as a 2-man relay. For some reason I said ‘yes’ and during the first week of October, we will set off from Dover in our quest to swim to France … 

We think it will take us about 16 hours - and plan to swim 2 hours on / 2 hours off. For those of you who know me well, I am not an endurance athlete and prefer running after a ball over about 10 metres!.. So, this will be a mammoth task and an amazing achievement if we do get there. And I intend to give it everything I’ve got …

The other incredible thing that has happened during lockdown is that I have got to know Olivia Kulina (aged 10) very well - and Olivia has Phelan-McDermid Syndrome. I have known Olivia’s mother, Jenny, all my life and during lockdown, Jenny and I would meet up (when we were allowed to!) in a random village in Hertfordshire (half way between our two houses which are 75 miles apart) and go for a long walk with Olivia. Olivia, is non-verbal and requires 24/7 care. However, she does love to walk and be outside as this seems to calm her. Jenny walks with her every day and so once a month, we would all walk together. I didn’t really know Olivia before covid - but now I realise that she is an amazing individual, with quite a personality. That is why I wanted to do this swim for Olivia - to raise awareness and hopefully money for Phelan-McDermid Syndrome.

A bit about Phelan-McDermid Syndrome as I had never heard of it either! Phelan-McDermid Syndrome  is caused by a deletion or loss of the terminal segment of chromosome 22. Individuals with Phelan-McDermid Syndrome have developmental delay and often do not develop functional language and can have autism spectrum disorders. All people with Phelan-McDermid Syndrome have difficulty communicating; many are non-verbal and have issues around cognitive development and mobility and most have low tone on their limbs. All people diagnosed with Phelan-McDermid Syndrome need additional care to support their daily lives. 

Please do read about Phelan-McDermid Syndrome as it is not well known, and the foundation needs all the support it can get. Your sponsorship will make a real difference to people with Phelan-McDermid Syndrome  and their families. And I can honestly say that Olivia is an incredible little girl, who just needs more help and care than the rest of us. I will definitely be thinking of her during my long swim.

Thank you. 

(Ps. If you have a bit more time - please do watch this video on You Tube: https://youtu.be/blLoZi0_v-M which was made by Olivia’s younger sister, Sophia, and it is an incredible insight of Olivia through the eyes of another child. It is hard not to be touched by the video.)