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At the end of 2014, we completed a 250Km swim challenge to raise money for KIND, a local children's charity.  We decided to continue our regular swimming at the University of Liverpool Sports Centre with the hope that we could amass a significant distance that could be used again for a fundraising project during 2015.

1200km is roughly the distance from Stuttgart to Liverpool.  This German City is currently receiving significant numbers of asylum seekers and refugees, some of whom will make the journey to the UK. In linking  Stuttgart with our own great City through our swim, we want to underline the importance of European solidarity in finding ways to deal with all migrants in a humanitarian and positive manner - to have Liverpool as the symbolic finishing line reflects the significant historic tradition of the City in welcoming many people from many different countries throughout the world.

As we have been swimming during 2015, the international refugee crisis has become increasingly catastrophic and we don't need to labour the fact of the life threatening challenges that asylum seekers and refugees face not only in their country of origin but through their journey to reach Europe.

Asylum Link has been working with asylum seekers and refugees for nearly 15 years on Merseyside and in the light of the burgeoning crisis in the middle east as well and Africa and beyond, the organisation is facing increasing pressures to deal with individuals whose problems do not end just because they arrive in the UK.  As the attached video explaining the work of the organisation says - " The people in this group have less rights, less voice and less support than almost anyone else within our community"  Official government policy means that some individuals in dire circumstances are currently denied the opportunity to work and to access, housing, social security and some medical services.  It is within this context that Asylum Link  operates.

 We were quite concerned that we would not be able to sustain the commitment but having largely avoided colds, illness and injuries, we have a combined target of 1200 kilometres in sight - this will mean that we have to  maintain a weekly distance of about 24k between us from the end of October until the end of December.

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