Out of the nine swimmers seven will be chosen to actually take part with the other two becoming vital reserves if any of the other swimmers pull out.

Cleverly playing on the TNT motto 'Sure We Can', The shore-to-shore we can Challenge is the brainwave of Jon Straw, the company's Driving Assessor and big Spoon supporter was who came up with the innovative way to continue TNT's fundraising record.

The team of swimmers comprises people from all areas of the business All of whom enthusiastically lept at the chance to be part of this wonderful challenge.

Joining TNT's bid to swim from Shakespeare beach to Cap Griz Nez is Heather Mather; Michelle Chatterton; Daniel Vines; Simon Bradbury; Owen Maybank; Frank Raspe; Steve Foster and Charles Cartier.

The team will also stay true to TNT's roots by using the swim to make a symbolic delivery through the waves - carrying a waterproofed mobile phone consignment over to France. The idea is for their colleagues at TNT France to take delivery of the phone and call TNT UK to confirm the success of the swim.

The Channel is like no other stretch of water. It lies between England and France with the narrowest point being in the Strait of Dover between Shakespeare Beach, Dover, England and Calais, France.

The 21 miles is the easy bit. It's the cold-water temperatures, strong currents and ever-shifting water and weather conditions that make it the Everest of Open water swimming. To date nearly 1,000 successful swimmers have clambered onto the rocks or beaches of France, but thousands fail due to strong currents and tidal flows, strong winds and whitecaps caused by changing conditions and hypothermia.

The team are certainly not taking this lightly and are well aware of the task that lies ahead. The rules for a ratified Channel swim are strict. A swimmer shall not be assisted by any artificial aid of any kind - including a wetsuit. They are allowed to grease the body before a swim, use goggles, wear one cap, a nose clip, earplugs and one costume. Each swimmer swims for one hour each time they enter the water and team members shall rotate in the same order throughout the swim. If one member fails to finish their hour or touches the boat their relay is over.

During the winter months the time has been spent in the pool but as the days warm up it is time to venture outside.

The team have already started their outdoor training - their first swim was a brisk ten minutes in 12.7 Celsius (55 Degrees Fahrenheit) and it will only increase as the days go by. Each team member will need to compete a two hour qualifying swim but that will only be a fraction of the hours they will build up over the coming months.

The TNT team are determined to raise at least £30,000 for Spoon and it's that strong desire to help disadvantaged children that drives them on.

"Raising the money is a huge motivation," explained Michelle Chatterton.

"We want to do this challenge but we are all well aware what 'success' will look like - yes, we'll swim the Channel but we can just imagine what will that money do for those most in need. That's a pretty strong incentive."

Spoon will be keeping abreast of their training but if you are interested in supporting the team please visit: justgiving.co.uk/shoretoshore. In addition you can read an interview with the team published in the latest edition of Spoon's members magazine, Spoonews. Click here to read the electronic version.