Leeds, UK to London, Ontario is 3,531 miles.

London is the birthplace of insulin.

After a recent health scare, I have decided to finally loose the baby blubber (seen that he is now 6ft 3 and has his provisional licence). I have decided to swim one length for every mile between here and the birthplace of insulin. I will do that between now (17 December 2023) and World Diabetes Day 2024 (15 Nov).

I have joined The Village gym in Leeds. The pool is 25m, so this means the challenge is 88,272 metres, or 54 miles. This means I need to be averaging 65- 70 lengths a week. A challenge but do-able. It will be a bit tedious at times, just like T1 is, but by raising money for T1 charities, I will be inspired to keep on going. The Village have given me some guest passes, so if you would like to join me on a swim and keep me motivated then just let me know. We can relax in the hot tub and steam room afterwards!

I have some health challenges myself, so this is not as easy as it would be for some. I can't do sponsored walks, definitely can't run or do extreme sports on medical grounds, but swimming is inclusive of my challenges.

I have purchased a smart watch to track my lengths and other swim data. I will use this as proof. If I ever swim anywhere other than The Village pool (including wild swims such as in the Brazilian water fall shown) the watch can track the distance swam and I can convert it into lengths.

I have chosen to raise for The Pendsey trust. We are lucky that in the UK we currently have a National Health Service that is free at point of use. This means we do not have to worry about the costs of any T1 supplies or care. Unfortunately, in other countries a T1 diagnosis can cost 70% of the household income and this impacts greatly on the care and future of the young people who live with this condition. I have been involved with The Pendsey trust for over 9 years now, they take a 2 pronged approach to ensure the young people at their partner clinic have a bright future. Firstly, insulin costs are covered which means the children can remain in school, but their education costs are also covered (school is not free in India). As the child transitions into adulthood, they then receive a grant for college, or business start up, which ensures they have the skills needed to be independent with their healthcare. I sponsor 2 children with Pendsey Trust and have enjoyed watching them flourish into amazing young people with bright futures ahead. I even took a self funded trip to see for myself how much difference the support makes.

Pendsey trust are proud to have a "no admin" policy, which means every penny donated gets through to the young people who need their help. Literally every donation is accounted for in the UK and in India, with no admin costs (as the charity is run by amazing volunteers who donate time or services).

You can read more about this policy here:

https://www.thependseytrust.org/every-penny-counts/

With Justgiving also taking no commission, you can be sure that 100% of your donation will make a difference. In fact, if you are a UK tax payer, the charity can even claim 25% additional at no cost to you, so a £10 donation becomes £12.50.

I have chosen World Diabetes Day on 15 November to complete my challenge by.