This is my fifth Aspire Channel Swim since 2014. I've done a few because I've enjoyed them and I don't find the distance too bad, it's doable. The challenge takes place at a good time of year for me as there aren’t many other events on then, so it keeps me motivated.  I'm a very slow swimmer but I can keep going for a long time, so swims I can do at my own pace suit me. 

I'm clumsy, terribly clumsy, so swimming is one activity that I can do without injuring myself or someone else! But mostly I like swimming as it's time to escape, I can't be contacted and I let my mind decide if it wants to overthink something while I'm swimming, or just stay empty and enjoy the calm.  

Fitness is my main reason for swimming but I've swum much more since lockdown, so I suspect there's a lot of stress relief in there too.

I broke my shoulder a few years ago and thought I might struggle with front crawl, but I taught myself how to swim differently, putting more emphasis on my core and hips to do a lot of the work, and now I can swim for hours if I have to. I can't breathe from both sides, only on my right side, but it doesn't cause any issues. 

I'm hoping to swim all 22 miles outdoors at Threipmuir Reservoir on the outskirts of Edinburgh. I'll have to be quick off the mark as by November it will be too cold to swim a mile, so I'm planning to have completed by mid/end of October. I might do another 22 miles - the swim home - from a pool.

The Aspire Channel Swim keeps me focused heading into winter when it would be easy to just stay in and chill every night.  For those taking it on for the first time, I say enjoy it!  But do plan and be realistic, don't let it pile up so you panic near the end of the 12 weeks.

I also did Aspire’s Night Swim in 2015 which I loved.  It was so surreal but very, very calming. I swim outside as much as I can and have been for around 8 years now. I still love every swim as much as the first time and I think it saved my sanity during lockdown. I swapped my daily commute for a daily swim and I don't think I'd have come out the other end as calm if I hadn't.

I do quite a few swimming fundraisers every year and although I find it difficult asking for money, I know it needs to be done. I usually get most sponsors from Twitter and I’ve got quite a few loyal followers who always kick off my sponsorship. Photos from my final swims and of course a happy medal photo always help too. 

I tend to raise money for other - and perhaps better known - charities so it means a lot to help Aspire where I can see what a difference it makes and to be able to read stories of how all the fundraising activities help.

Roll on September! 

Sponsor Pamela

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