A fair few of you know that I'm mad keen on swimming. In the pool, at the lido, in a reservoir, in the sea, even in a dock (but definitely not one of ABP's - in case Health and Safety see this) - wherever and whenever possible really. And most years I also like to sign up to a challenge to remove some of the enjoyment and replace it with unnecessary pressure and worry. Which is why this year I'm all signed up to swim Ullswater End to End in July. It's 7.5 miles, or 12km, depending on how continental you're feeling - I'm unclear how long that will take me, other than, well, a while.

While I've done quite a few of these types of things before (although this will be the longest - assuming I don't get fished out early, probably for consuming more than my fair share of jellybabies and depriving other swimmers), I've never even tried to raise any money for charity. For various reasons I wanted to change that this time and hopefully raise some money for a really worthwhile cause which is sadly both underfunded and in demand - Rape Crisis.

Rape and sexual abuse are devastating crimes but are unfortunately not uncommon. 1 in 5 women have been raped or sexually assaulted as an adult. Rape Crisis England & Wales:

- Raises awareness of the prevalence and impact of sexual violence and abuse in all its forms

- Advocates for systems change to create better responses in justice, health, education and across society

- Ensures that specialist support is available

So if you're able to donate - thank you. I'll hopefully crawl faster as a result (suspect the former rather than the latter may be the operative word but either way, I'll let you know how I get on).

Oh and I don't think it's sold out yet so still spaces for people to sign up too!

https://chillswim.com/chillswim-ullswater-end-to-end/