Sometime between 4th and 11th August, (weather permitting) I will be standing on a beach just outside Dover, wearing my swimming trunks, hat and goggles. I’ll walk into the water, start swimming and I won’t stop until I reach France – some 33 km away! If it all goes well, I’ll be there in 14 hours.

It’s taken about 2 years to prepare for this adventure, which has inevitably involved a lot of swimming (470 Km in 2026 alone). During that time, I’ve often been cold, hungry and tired, BUT I have always known that this was my choice, that I was following my dream and these discomforts would soon be over.

Sadly, there are many people for whom such situations are not temporary and who are not given the opportunity to fulfil their potential. Thankfully, there are organisations in my home city who do amazing work to help those who are currently less fortunate than myself, and I’m proud to do a little bit to help raise money for The Big Difference and the Society of St James.

If you are able, it would be wonderful if you could offer them some help, so that they can continue to support some of the vulnerable people in Southampton and help them and their families achieve their full potential.

The Big Difference aims to alleviate hunger by redistributing surplus food to those in need, while being environmentally sustainable. It provides social supermarkets, food pantries getting affordable, healthy food to communities across Southampton.

Each month, up to 70 tonnes of food is saved from going into landfill, helping up to 10,000 people each week; a remarkable convergence of supporting those in need and making a difference to our environment.