On Sunday July 23rd I swam from Asia to Europe along with 2000 other participants in the annual cross Bosphorous challenge.

I was inspired to take part in this event from reading an in flight magazine article after I had sustained a cycling injury and had to find another sport to try my hand at. This event marks the finale of 2.5 years of hard training and dedication.

I have chosen Tuesdays Children as my charity of choice in remembrance of 911, as I was present in New York at that time and deeply affected by those events. I feel greatly honoured to be able to do something positive for the children of those we lost on that awful day.

I hope my swim will inspire others to look east, because only by building bridges and developing shared economic and cultural interests can we erase the poverty, resentment and fanaticism that is the breeding ground of terrorism and war.

So please give generously, I have set myself quite a high fund raising target to achieve.