The first splash. The holding your breath. The echoes of laughter. The wet hair. The lifted spirits. The joy of gliding through water. The smile that lasts all day.

Swimming is like nothing else. The skills you develop, the confidence you build and the joys you feel are all universal. Yet access to swimming in the UK is not.

Level Water's uses the power of swimming to improve lives for children with disabilities. I'll be swimming 6k in the Avon (Aune) estuary in Devon at The Bantham Swoosh event in aid of Level Water.

As someone who loves to swim and uses any excuse to throw myself into the water, everyone should have the opportunity to learn to swim and fall in love with the water, as I have been fortunate to!