Wild Swimming - News Room

Swim Smart Educating adults and teenagers about Wild Swimming water safety Wild Swimming is great fun but remember no one is drownprof; a life lost in a swimming incident will impress no one. First: learn to swim well. Don’t drink and drown! Alcohol and drugs boost confidence but reduce ability. Don’t swim alone! Stay close enough to others to give and receive help if necessary. Swim only in clear unpolluted water. Don’t let weeds or submerged rocks take you by surprise. Chec

Caroline Quentin goes Wild Swimming From the Mail online: “At 14ºC, the water temperature was almost half that of my local swimming pool, the rain was battering down and I was wearing only a wetsuit for protection, but the feeling of being at one with nature was so invigorating. I found myself wild swimming in the 600ft-deep loch as part of a new three-part series for ITV on Britain’s National Parks. Each week viewers will see me visit a different park.”  Caroline Quentin Tue

Wild swimming is not about freezing cold water; it’s about the joy of swimming in the great outdoors. It’s about breaking free from the indoor swimming pool and returning to swim in the wild. British culture has taken the fun out of swimming; swimmers have been imprisoned at indoor pools for far too long. Wild swimming is all about breaking free from convention, escaping to the outdoors and returning to beautiful surroundings, to water that sparkles with sunlight, and the exh

The success of Tom Daley at the 2012 Olympics and the recent TV show Splash have inspired many primary school children to aspire to become high divers. The number seeking instruction at one Edinburgh pool has trebled from less than 150 last year to over 500. Mandie Arthur, the Commonwealth Pool’s dive coach is quoted by the Scotsman as saying: “The children coming in are telling us they saw diving on TV and want to be the next Daley. They are full of confidence and have no fe

FREE swimming in Wigan’s pools is to be axed next month. Despite the withdrawal of government funding the council agreed to retain FREE swimming for under-16s during the school holidays and also for pensioners. Yet ‘research carried out by Salford University has found that swimming numbers have not increased by the levels required to have a positive impact on child obesity levels’ Wigan Today. The report continues: ‘Similar national research… shows that cost is not the main b

Probably the largest natural swimming pool in the world… More… Wild Swimming in Lahore Canal #Lahore #Swimmingpool #SwimmingPoolsandSpas

Humberstone Lido Opened in Leicester in the mid 1930s at the height of the British sunbathing era. Concerns over water quality sparked a move away from river swimming and the Lido offered clean modern surroundings to an increasingly affluent population. Bathing in the sunshine was seen to have many health benefits and so Lido’s countrywide enjoyed a hey day of popularity. However attitudes towards swimming outdoors changed and the Lido era came to an end in the seventy’s. Lei

The chart shows the steep rise in swimming popularity as a result of the government’s free swimming program as reflected in swimming pool attendances in Bradford. Similar statistics countrywide show a degree of success in getting firstly those over 60 and later those under 16 active and into the water. Despite the steep increase in attendance figures peaking in 2009-10, the economic slump led to austerity measures and funding cuts. The goal of free swimming for all by the tim

Nine-month-old twins from Gloucestershire have been showing off their “unusual” swimming ability. William and Ellenita Trykush swim at their local pool in Cirencester, with their parents Charley and Vic, and have been known to manage 25 metres – a full length – unaided. Their teacher told the BBC that she had never seen anything like it. #William #Family #Charley #Swimmingpool #Cirencester #Gloucestershire #BBC #England

On the return flight from a sunshine holiday in Tenerife I was inspired to explore the quandary facing UK authorities over the increasingly popular practice of tombstoning. A picture on the lavatory wall of the Jet2 aircraft captured the sheer joy of jumping into clear blue water on a hot sunny day. All over Tenerife, from the harbour walls in Garachico and Los Cristianos, from every rock and specially constructed key side, adults, children and teenagers share the joy of jump

Back in the seventy’s swimmers were chased out of rivers across the country as water pollution posed an increasing health risk. Children were scared out of their wits by a a sinister public safety film, with swimming pools promoted as the only safe place to swim. Now as bathers refuse to wash properly before entering the water, swimming pools have become polluted. Dr Chalmers (Public Health Wales)  said “cryptosporidium (a disease that causes severe diarrhea) could survive ch

The £19m Olympic standard swimming pool in Corby is struggling to cope with demand after London 2012 because it can not get enough instructors. Corby Borough Council said it had a waiting list of 300 children wanting lessons, but over the last six months it had failed to find any properly qualified people for the posts. The council is now starting an apprenticeship scheme. It hopes the scheme will help meet the shortfall in swimming instructors. More… #2012SummerOlympics #

Revision 2012 – enhanced photographs, text updated throughout. Swim in the great outdoors and experience the cool refreshing waters of the expansive British countryside and you will find returning to any indoor swimming pool both stifling and restrictive. Often featured in newspapers and magazines, modern day wild swimming is regaining popularity in the UK Alice Roberts and Robson Green have brought the wild swimming adventure into our homes through television, but the resurg

New research suggests that swimmers should avoid prolonged swimming and take frequent showers to limit exposure to toxins at man-made pools. Health can be detrimentally affected with risks of asthma and cancer resulting from repeated and prolonged exposure. The skin absorbs toxins produced as chemicals used to disinfect the water react with skin, hair, sweat and urine. Swimmers are advised to use the toilet rather that urinating in the swimming pool. Shower thoroughly before

The NHS has released a set of guidelines highlighting the health hazards faced by the growing number of open water swimmers. At the top of the list: jellyfish stings, followed by shark attacks and sewage in the sea. Sensible advice is included from the River and Lake Swimming Association which states: Only swim in rivers and lakes if you’re a good swimmer. Don’t jump or dive in. If in doubt, don’t go in water that’s too deep to stand up in. Don’t swim after drinking alcohol o

Rutland Water Bathing Beach could soon be as popular as Cotswold Water Park pictured here. After a cold but dry winter many swimmers have been looking forward to the opening of a bathing beach at Rutland Water this summer. The fact that this is even being considered is a tectonic shift in opinion in favor of recreational open water swimming. We have Robert Aspey, of the RASLA, to thank for the progress that has been made so far, but the weather is to blame for the fact that t

A rare opportunity to see and hear the unique 2,000 year history of open water swimming in Leicester. Come along on Saturday May 5th at 7.30pm and discover how the very popularity of wild swimming ultimately led to its complete extinction. With 111 slides, the two part lecture will focus on the reasons for our changing attitudes towards open water swimming. Leicesters sixteen lidos and swimming pools, three Olympic medalists, famous names such as Daniel Lambert and Thomas Coo

Times change and attitudes toward river swimming have polarized but the fact remains that the River Cam is a delightful place to swim. Children were taught to swim at the Sheep’s Green bathing complex. A large rectangular paddling pool is still popular with local children. Adjacent to it, a foot-bridge crosses a tributary of the Cam and the boys’ and girls’ bathing places lie to the left and right respectively. Walking across the field, another bridge separates the men’s and

Attitudes towards swimming outdoors have been shaped by our rich and eventful history. Yet with the remarkable achievements of David Walliams who raise over two million pounds for Sport Relief with his eight day 140 miles swim of the Thames, swimmers are increasingly turning their attention outdoors. Lake Windermere in the Lake District is described by the BBC today as “cold, dark and dangerous.”  Yet it sites Traditional pool swimmer: Graeme Sutton as an open water swimming

SWIMMING is great for burning calories, improving your muscular infrastructure and helping children sleep reports The Star. Mum Victoria, 39, who lives near Norfolk Park in Sheffield has been taking both her children swimming  since they were babies. and their early training had set them up for life. “I took Daniel swimming from him being ten weeks-old because as a baby he wouldn’t settle so I wanted to tire him out. He would want feeding every hour for 24 hours and I was des