Last year, I took part in the Loch Ness Etape cycling event as part of a team where we raised over £13,000 for Macmillan after friends I knew lost their lives to cancer. Since then, I've known others who have been affected by cancer, all in different ways.

This year, a different group of friends liked the idea of swimming the length of Loch Ness as a relay.

I figured that given I cycled Loch Ness the year before, why not raise money again for MacMillan by swimming it.

While the 4 of us, Owen, Jen, Rebecca and I are all good swimmers and have been doing it for years, this swim is not without its challenges. There's the cold for a start. Due to our rubbish summer, water temperatures have been fluctuating quite a bit and so it’s probably a bit colder that we would like.

And then of course, there's Nessie, but we won't think too much about that. We'll be providing regular updates as training continues.

Macmillan gives people with cancer everything they’ve got. If you’re diagnosed, your worries are Macmillan’s worries. Macmillan’s doing whatever it takes. But without your help, Macmillan can’t support everyone who needs them.

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