I am pleased to be participating in Swim Serpentine 2026 (except the venue has changed for me and I will swim at Taplow Lake) on 19 September 2026 to raise funds for Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) .

MSF is the world's leading medical humanitarian aid organisation. They work in over 70 countries - in conflict zones, natural disasters and epidemics. They are independent, neutral and impartial and provide medical care where it's needed most.

Current provision is:

The Middle East: Extensive emergency operations in Palestine (Gaza and the West Bank), Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq.

Ukraine: Comprehensive medical and mental health care across the Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Mykolaiv regions.

Africa: Major operations targeting disease outbreaks, malnutrition, and pediatric healthcare in hotspots like Nigeria (northern regions), South Sudan, Somalia, and Ethiopia.

The Americas: Migrant health support and disaster response in countries such as Colombia, Haiti, Mexico, and at the US southern border.

Asia: Maternal health and refugee support programs, including long-standing operations for Rohingya communities in Bangladesh.

- £21 can help pay for masks to resuscitate three new born babies.

- £43 could pay for a blood pressure monitor to help detect underlying health issues

- £95 could provide antiretroviral drugs for a year for one person living with HIV/AIDS.

- £153 could buy a basic surgical kit, enabling an MSF surgeon to carry out surgery.

- £306 can pay for an emergency kit to dress 100 wounds.

I chose this challenge because I love swimming and wanted to anchor myself at home this summer, and push my physical and mental boundaries by swimming in open water—a test far tougher than I imagined but deeply rewarding. Now I ask you to join me on this journey by supporting my fundraising goal of £500. Your generosity will empower MSF’s life-saving missions where help is needed most.

Thank you for any support you can provide.