Like me, many people swim the English Channel every year. Some people do it for charity, some for personal reasons.

But this is different. In terms of endurance this is one of the toughest swimming challenges in the world.

I plan to swim the entire LENGTH of the River Thames from Cirencester in Gloucestershire to Southend in Essex, England.

So how BIG a challenge IS this? Well, to put it simply, it's HUGE!
 

Start:		Cirencester (Gloucestershire)
End:		Southend (Essex)
Distance:		215 miles / 346 kilometres
Duration:		14 days (expected)
Distance per day:		15.3 miles / 24.7 kilometres

This is the equivalent of nearly a Dover to Calais swim EVERY DAY for a fortnight!

The challenge is due to start around the 14th July 2009.

The ONLY person so far to have successfully completed this challenge is Lewis Pugh (in 21 days) and I hope to have the chance to be the first WOMAN to complete it AND in the fastest ever time!

But I don't just want my name in the history books. I don't even just want to set the world record for this swim. What I REALLY want to do is raise money for a VERY worthy cause. And the more I can raise, the more children we can help.

Wish me luck!