Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Here's my story: close to four years ago a good friend re-awakened my dormant interest in swimming, but with a twist: the double challenge of long-distance swimming and doing it in open water. Since then I have swum a total of 710km (according to Strava) and taken part in three 10k open water swims. This year is going to be the fourth and it's a special one. Firstly, because it'll be my third time doing the fabulous Dart 10k (earning a golden swim cap - yay!) and, secondly, because it's the 10th anniversary of the Dart 10k.

All this preamble is just to make it perfectly clear that I love swimming; both as a way to keep fit and, with open water swimming, a way to be close to nature. This is why the charity I'm raising money for is so close to my heart. Last year, with BP's contribution, we all raised enough money to teach five children with disabilities to swim. Who knows, one of them may be a Paralympic champion one day! That is amazing.

This year I'm hoping we can all get together and beat that achievement. But let's be clear: I swim because I love it and I will swim with or without donations. I'm not doing anything incredibly embarrassing (although some might argue seeing me squeeze into a wetsuit is just that) or, indeed, pushing my limits. For me, it's incredibly important to stress that I don't want anyone to feel under any pressure to donate.