As some of you may know last October I was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma cancer (to put this in context there is no stage 5). The cancer had spread throughout my body. Things looked bleak.

I was very fortunate to come under the care of Dr Mark Harries and his dedicated and lovely team at Guy's hospital. They immediately put me on a course of immunotherapy drugs. These drugs boost the immune system to fight the cancer.

Very fortunately I responded extremely well to treatment and the cancer has all but been eradicated. I am still being treated on a "care and maintenance" basis and scanned regularly to confirm that the cancer is at bay. I am not complacent about this.

Pre 2011 (when immunotherapy was first introduced as a cancer treatment in the UK) my prognosis would have been very bleak indeed. The particularly poignant twist of fate for me is that in 2008 Kris Rogers (who works with me at Gowling WLG) and I raised money for melanoma research (we stumbled around a half Ironman) in memory of Andy Quick a much loved colleague and friend who had succumbed to melanoma. I guess that I have now benefited from research I helped fund. Positive karma.

I promised Mark Harries that when I recovered I would do some ridiculous swim to raise money for Melanoma Focus, a charity that Mark is associated with. Melanoma Focus are experts in melanoma. They provide information, guidance and support for patients, carers and healthcare professionals. They have built a community of melanoma specialists who underpin their commitment to melanoma education and research. Doubtless you will have seen reports in the media that cases of melanoma are on the rise and the work of Melanoma Focus is crucial in combatting this. For more information on Melanoma Focus and their work please follow the link (https://melanomafocus.org/).

So on 9 September 2024 I shall don my Speedos (not really I shall wear a wetsuit) and participate in the Dart 10k in Devon. As the title suggests a 10k swim up the River Dart in Devon.

You can follow my training on Strava and every now and then I shall send an email updating you on my training.

I am extremely fortunate to have benefited from the great strides that have been made in terms of the treatment of melanoma and I would very much like others to benefit as well. With that in mind, I should be extremely grateful if you would sponsor my swim and thereby provide much needed support to Melanoma Focus.

With much love and many thanks