My first mini fund-raiser, 1000 press-ups in an hour, will take place at Crown Gate, Worcester (behind Boots chemist) on Saturday 16th Nov.  The event has been delayed a week, primarily due to work commitments.

For those expecting me to blast out 50 -100 press ups in one go and to continue from there, you will be disappointed.  I aim to maintain 17 per minute for the full hour, and even these will be broken down into chunks of five and six every 20 seconds.  If that's suddenly making it sound easy, give it a go.  :0)

Please come along and support me on the day.  I'll be there from around 11:00, and a small team of Acorns supporters, including staff from HallmarkHulme and David Lloyd's will be there with information on their respective businesses, as well as bearing buckets ready for cash donations to Acorns.

All money collected on the day will go directly to Acorns.  If you wish to support the logistics of my Channel swim, please contact me, or speak to me on the day.

I had an unexpected but welcome delivery this morning: Three large assorted boxes of coconut water from Vita Coco, containing orange, pineapple and pure coconut flavours.

Deciding to swim the Channel whilst living in Worcester is a bit like Jamaica deciding to create a bobsleigh team: within the UK, I could hardly be further from the sea.

Whilst I will worry about getting access to the sea later next near, in the mean time I do need access to swimming facilities.  The majority of my training is done at the lido in Hampstead, but I decided that whilst back in Worcester I also need to get to a pool.

I approached David Lloyd's gym, showing them the official documentation from Acorns regarding the swim, and inquired about the possibility of being able to use their pool Friday-Sunday until the event.  It took a few days, but it transpired that David Lloyd's did not think access to the pool was good enough.  They have very kindly granted me full membership as a gesture of support to be me and Acorns.

Naturally I am over the moon at this opportunity.  The facilities at the gym are second to none.  I met with Adrian, the duty manager at Worcester today, and after signing some paperwork, together with a quick guided tour around the facilities, I went for a swim in their pool.  Fantastic.  

I have no doubt that this generous offer will help me on my way across to France.  Many thanks indeed!

As sponsorship and coverage both gather momentum, I'm delighted to say I have been offered hydration support from Vita Coco.  UK Brand Manager Hugh Thomas got in touch directly with me, offering support in the form of free samples.  

One of the key elements of a Channel swim is to determine what food and drink sits well in your stomach during the swim.  It's too late to try out new ideas on the day, so it's vital to be able to practice with various substances beforehand.  

This offer from Vita Coco means I will now be able to practice with this product well in advance of my swim.

For information on the Vita Coco product, please see their web site at http://vitacoco.com/uk/

Excellent full-page spread in the Worcester News this weekend, as promised by Mike Pryce.

Mike is planning on covering the first mini fund-raiser on 9th November too, so there should be more publicity to follow.

It's not too late to offer financial help to this challenge.  The logistics are in the region of around £3000, and I am still in need of further support, be that a major or minor sponsor.  Please contact me for further details.

Mike Pryce from The Worcester News has informed me that there will be a large, full page article in Saturday's edition of the paper.  

I'm hoping this level of publicity will encourage some more corporate sponsorship. I'm still in need of some further funding to ensure I can cover the full logistical costs of this Channel swim.

Please contact me if you are interested in sponsoring me.  Thanks.

When I suggested to my family that I attempt a Channel swim, one immediate stipulation by Esta was that I make a will.  It may initially sound morbid, but to take on such a challenge without covering every eventuality would be negligent to say the least.  It would also show a conscious disregard for the seriousness of the challenge.

I'm delighted to announce that HallmarkHulme have offered to extend the sponsorship they have already pledged, by helping me with making a will.  I am extremely grateful for this offer.  So is Esta, who will now have one small thing less to worry about.

Julian, Rebecca - do you do shark/jellyfish repellent?  :)

'How far are you swimming each week at the moment?' Asked Dr Julie Bradsaw on Friday.  The trouble was, I simply could not answer her.  To date, I've been concentrating on just swimming for two or three hours, as opposed to clocking off a set distance.  I simply have no idea how far I have been swimming.

'You need to be aiming for an equivalent Channel distance every week,' she continued.  'That’s around 40+ kilometers.  Not immediately, but you certainly need to begin to build up to that distance.  Next week, record how far you swim.’

 Ah!  Small problem there.  It’s one that is recognised by the Channel Swimming Association, and they take pains to point it out to would-be Channel swimmers: People tend to have jobs, families, and lives.  Training has to fit in, somewhere.

 For me, over the next three weeks I will be travelling to the US twice.  Nice work if you can get it.  But hotel pools tend to be smaller than the baths the Romans used to have. A good push off, and you can glide to the other end.  Without a push, four or five strokes will find you at the far wall.  They’re intended for relaxation, not endurance swimming.  Essentially, I will get very little swimming practice in for the remainder of October.

 That’s not to say I will forgo all training, of course.  Gym facilities do not have to be fantastic to be of cardiovascular benefit.  I intend do some long (probably jet-lagged) gym sessions.

 This ‘work’ stuff gets in the way.  Next year, as I build up towards this 42km, I plan to take some half days or even full days off to ensure I can put in the required level of swimming commitment.

I've just had a call from a nice man at Worcester News, telling me the paper want to run a more in-depth story on the swim.  We have arranged an interview for tomorrow so that the paper can harness all the details, ready for publication in the near future.

It's all gathering momentum.

Things have been busy lately. 

My promotional banner design has been completed, and I have now confirmed the date for my first mini fund-raising event.

On Saturday 9th November, I will be attempting to complete 1000 press-ups in an hour in Crown Gate shopping centre, Worcester.  The attempt will commence around 15:00, but I will be there beforehand to chat to potential sponsors, and to explain the details of the Channel Swim to anyone who's interested or has questions.  I'm hoping that Craig Gillies from the Worcester Warriors will be present, helping support Acorns.  More on that to follow, depending upon Craig's availability.

Acorn's charity buckets will present at the event, so please come along and drop some coins (or notes!) into them.