Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Every year, Shelton Striders Running Club nominate a charity for which the whole club raises funds. This year, the Hardy Group was nominated. They provide activities for sufferers of Dementia and their families which help break down social isolation and improve wellbeing. This a cause close to my heart. My own mum has suffered with dementia for years and has recently been admitted to a specialist care home. While this charity cannot help my mum, it can help other families who are suffering at the hands of this horrible condition.

On June 22nd I'll be taking part in the Coniston ChillSwim - a 5.25 mile swim covering the length of Coniston Water. This is a massive challenge. People know me as a keen runner and triathlete, but if truth be told swimming is not my strongest sport. Having not really done any swimming since primary school, I decided a few years ago to get into triathlon, and to do that I needed to teach myself how to swim front crawl. I'm well outside my comfort zone with this. On top of the fatigue of swimming 4 times further than I've completed in a lake previously, I'll need to overcome the cold and nutritional challenges. Unlike a running race, I can't just walk for a bit to catch my breathe. I either swim the whole way, or get plucked out of the water and ferried back to the start on a boat.

Thank you for reading this. If you could consider donating to support either of these causes it would mean so much, not just to me, but to the people they help. Your support will help galvanise my spirits when I think I can't swim another stroke.

Please see the links to Just Giving pages in the comments.