Well done and thank you, we made it.Thank you all for the fantastic response to the fundraising appeal. These wonderful nurses deserve every help we can offer.

When my mum was dying of cancer, at home, in the early hours of Christmas Day 2022, the only help came from the nurses of Mountbatten.

You can imagine the relief when they arrived to take over. They gave her pain relief, took control and stayed until the end.

So we are driving to Istanbul, Turkey, to take part in the annual Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race to raise money for this wonderful independent cancer hospice.

Along the way I am training in local pools and lakes to keep up swimming fitness. Since the start of the year I have been swimming up to 5 times a week, 6,000m the furthest in one session.

The race itself is 6.5k, though there is a rumour of tide assistance from the Black Sea, if you can find the "cold current" flowing towards the Mediterranean. I have never raced that far without a wetsuit so I hope I can navigate across. If not, the lifeguards scoop you out at the 2 hour time limit

When you donate, all of your gift will be used to fund:

-24/7 care and support for people at home or in the inpatient unit.

-bereavement support for anyone who needs it.

-rehabilitation & enablement services to help those with life-limiting conditions live as well as they can.

-specialist medical equipment.