On the 28th May 2015, I set out from my home town of Henley-On-Thames in a bid to become the first person in the world to row solo around Great Britain.

Through the 13 week, 3000 mile journey, I'll be sharing the adventure with over 17,000 disadvantaged young people in 53 countries via a purpose built virtual learning environment, as well as connecting with schools through Skype in the Classroom, and giving talks to the general public. The aim of the row is to inspire people, to celebrate the beautiful island of Great Britain, and to raise money to give children the chance to have an education, so that they can have a better life, free from disadvantage and discrimination from gender, disability, and poverty. I really hope that you will be inspired by my journey, and will help me to raise £100,000 to change the lives of the 2000 disadvantaged children already supported by the Thai Children's Trust.

This is a huge undertaking for me. I'm almost 40, am not a rower (but have been learning to row since Jan 2013), and I was previously paralysed when I developed Guillain-Barre syndrome whilst working with children in the slums of India. But if these children, can get themselves through each day, then so can I, with the reminder that the row is my own choice, but the children don't have a choice in what happens to them, no matter how hard things get. If they can be brave, so can I. 

You can learn more about my own charity Oceans Project, and the expedition at: www.oceansproject.com