Not many of you know, but recently I have lost a close friend of mine to breast cancer.

She was only 36 and left two little ones behind. It is a huge loss for her family and friends, and words can't even describe it how we all feel. She was the most genuine, optimistic and full of life person I have ever had the chance to meet.. she leaves a massive gap in all of our lives... and its heart-breaking to think two adorable kids will grow up without their mum's, without the best role model they could have had.

Sadly nothing can bring her back, but I believe we should try and help people who try to fight this disease in every way we can, so hopefully less and less will need to go through the pain and can live a longer, happy life. And as you know, every little counts.

I am not a swimmer. At all. I only learnt to front crawl a year ago.. so this is a massive challenge, but at every stroke I will think of my beautiful friend, Sara.

About Swimathon:

On the 27th - 29th March, over 21,000 swimmers will be heading down to over 600 pools across the UK to raise money for our two amazing charity partners.

Cancer Research UK, the world’s leading cancer charity is dedicated to saving lives through funding research to help prevent, diagnose and treat cancer. Cancer Research UK are the only charity fighting over 200 cancer types but don't receive any government funding for their work, so their progress is all thanks to the support of people like you.

Marie Curie provides expert care, guidance and support for people living with any terminal illness, and their families. Around 2,100 Marie Curie Nurses work day and night, in people’s homes all over the UK, providing hands-on care to people when they need it most.

Together we can really make a difference. We invite our swimmers to tell their story to help spread awareness and raise vital funds for these two incredible causes.