As many of you know, Darcey & her Daddy swam 2.5 kilometres each one Saturday afternoon in May 2023 and raised over £2,700 for Cancer Research UK, Marie  Curie and The Swimathon Foundation.

Though her Daddy (53m 30s) was marginally quicker than Darcey (55m 55s), Darcey's time was the quickest of anyone in her age group across the whole country. Daddy's was not. At the end of 100 lengths, one of us was keen to swim on. One of us was looking to have a sit down and a sleep in front of the Eurovision Song Contest.

Nevertheless, we have both signed up to the 5K this year. That's 100 lengths of an Olympic-sized pool. It is 200 lengths of a standard pool. It is 500 lengths of a fair-sized garden pool. It is 3000 lengths of a deep bath. All this is happening for us on 27th April 2024.

How is training going? Since May 2023, one of us has been swimming up to six times a week for one of Kent's premier swim clubs and for her school. One of us has not. A reversal of finishing positions may be a safe bet. 

We would be delighted if we could raise even half of what we raised last year. Many of you donated very generously. Please don't feel compelled to double your donations. Even donating half of what you did last year would be very gratefully received. 

For those of you who did not donate last year, you will obviously need to donate 150% of your intended donation just to keep up...

Many thanks for any donation, however small.

(And yes, that is Adam Peaty on the cover photo, fist-bumping with Darcey at the London Acquatics Centre.)

Cancer Research UK is the largest charitable funder of cancer research in the world and will stay at the forefront of the global fight against cancer. 1 in 2 of us will get cancer. All of us can support the research that will beat it. Marie Curie is here for people with any terminal illness, and those close to them from diagnosis to bereavement. Our nurses and healthcare assistants support families directly across the UK. Our free support line can help with any question about end of life.And we campaign for structural change and fund vital research that improves end of life for everyone. On 26-28 April, thousands of swimmers will be heading to over 400 pools across the UK to raise money for our two amazing charity partners. Together we can really make a difference.