In 2017 my local pool had leaflets in reception about the Aspire Channel Swim.  I like a challenge, and I admire anyone who actually swims the Channel for real, but I'm not an open water swimmer as the cold is too much for me and now water quality is an issue too. I like to do things that will help others and I've taken part in other swim challenges, so I decided that it would be good to do what I can to help Aspire.

Being quite active and fit I found the challenge manageable and enjoyed it, though sometimes it was hard to motivate myself, especially when the weather is cold and it's darker. We moved house at the end of October 2017, so I had a lot going on during the course of the challenge and it was quite a stressful time, so even though it could be hard to stay motivated, once I'd got to the pool it was beneficial to me.

I signed up to this year's challenge because I wanted to help again. I knew I'd have the time available to complete the distance, I just need to avoid getting injured. It was good to see three distances to choose from, so I decided to try for the 44 miles.  It was good that the challenge started earlier than usual, so I signed up and started on 1st August. I swim twice a week and, as much as I enjoy swimming, I'd get bored if I swam every day and would get injuries.  I get neck pain from tightness of ligaments/tendons in my neck and this can be aggravated by swimming front crawl, which is my stroke of choice. I'm confident that I'll complete the distance by December.

I just love being in the water; there's something about swimming that other activities can't equal. I can switch off and clear my mind, it's rhythmical and almost like meditation. Everything feels better after a swim. I also like the Aspire Channel Swim because of the timescale allotted to complete the distance - it makes it manageable without being stressful to achieve.

I swim because I love swimming. I'm a swimming teacher and try to pass on my love of swimming to those I teach, but also it's good to keep active and swimming is great for that as well as the mental health benefits too.  My local pool is Ryedale Swim and Fitness Centre in Pickering.

Asking people for donations can be tricky especially with a lot of people struggling financially anyway. I use a combination of email, social media, and face to face and if someone refuses I thank them anyway for listening. Most people are very kind and generous.

Having the Facebook Group is helpful as reading about others who are taking part and how far they've swum or how much they've raised helps me to stay motivated, especially if I'm feeling tired.

I don't know anyone with a spinal cord injury, but it must be very challenging to come to terms with being paralysed, this is one of the reasons why I support Aspire. If I can raise funds for the charity doing something I love it's a win-win all round. 

Sponsor Sharon

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