The team are busy training at present, and are also devoting time to fundraising. Each team member has to raise at least £1,000 of sponsorship (in addition to personal contributions made to help to cover the cost of the event).

I am particularly interested in supporting Diabetes UK as my father is a sufferer as are some of my colleagues. I have seen the problems at first hand that diabetes has caused and this has spurred me on with this challenge. This is also a great opportunity to achieve a personal goal and develop team working skills along the way. Thanks you for your support.

Ever since I was a young boy I have wanted to swim the Channel in one way or another, I have also wanted to run the London Marathon for a number of years.
I am lucky enough to have had a place in the 2010 London Marathon and also a place in the Diabetes UK cross channel relay in August 2010. I completed the marathon in 4:43:42 so now I can concentrate on the swim.

For the Channel Swim I will be in a team of 6, each taking 1 hour stints in the cold, dirty, water dodging ferries, tankers and all manner of flotsam and jetsam as we make our way to France.

This will take place some time between the 9th and 16th August 2010 (the precise date depends on the conditions in the Channel that week).

Jane (my wife) thinks I'm having some sort of mid life crisis. I keep reminding her that this is better than fast cars and chasing younger women!!

Back to Top

A few years ago I was a couch potato who got out of breath climbing the stairs. My health deteriorated to such an extent that I was unable to work and it made me realise that I couldn't go on like this. Life had to be better than living in fear of dying young of some terrible, but easily preventable disease.

Luckily I decided to get healthy before I did myself any permanent damage but it was a long, slow process with lots of dead ends and periods when I thought I couldn't keep it up.

Back to Top

My name is Simon and I live and work in London. I've always enjoyed swimming and I am really looking forward to swimming the channel with the other members of the team. It is a fantastic opportunity to meet some new people and achieve something that very few people do. More importantly, it also provides the opportunity to make use of my hobby to raise funds for a very worthwhile cause.

I am lucky enough not to have diabetes, but I know a lot of people who do and I know that they appreciate the support of charities like Diabetes UK and the important work that they do.

Back to Top

Hi all, my name is Elina Telford, but most of my friends know me as Linnie, Lin or Linster. I am 25 and have many guises, varying from PhD student to a Health Care Assistant to a lecturer to a (erm, unique) singer and dancer, (bad) actor and lazy bum! and so on…. I have a wonderful boyfriend (Pete), who has a gorgeous son (Owen).

I decided to take on this challenge, as I guess I have had a more than fortunate life with most of my problems stemming from a mental health rather than a physical background.

I was inspired to do this swim for several reasons:

1) I have had a bizarre obsession to do something in the channel in the last few years.

2) Because my Aunty Janet passed from the consequences of diabetes. I did not know Janet amazingly well, but I found her strength inspiring. She was a great author, particularly of murder mysteries and would send them to me to act with my University friends. Sadly I never did this, I hope to do them one day in memory of her, but I think the swim is a start :D.

3) But thirdly and finally, because of all the people I have met with diabetes. Like any person, they all have stories and I am inspired by each and every one of them. …and I am a bit crazy :D I would also like to thank Gemma Lundy for all of her belief in me and her punishing workouts. I wish everyone of us good luck! And am looking forward to it.

In August 2010 I will be taking part in a relay race across the English Channel. In teams of six, we will attempt to swim from Dover to Cap Gris Nex in France. It certainly is a tough challenge but really is something I have always wanted to achieve. More people have successfully climbed Everest than have taken part in a channel swim…

I’ll probably just get the ferry next time. Thank you for supporting Diabetes UK.