Blog
Why I Swim
Find out why Kate Roberts swims and why she is cycling around the cost of Britain to raise money for mental health charities.
Giving Back To Our Blue Spaces
The wonderful long days of summer are finally here - who else is feeling the joy of being able to take a dip after finishing for the day before losing the light? It is bringing me so much joy and excitement for the summer and time spent in our incredible blue spaces...
Mental Health Swims x TrueStart Coffee
TrueStart Coffee is a family-run, independent business that makes coffee to make you feel amazing. As a certified B Corp and Carbon Negative company they're on a mission to make people feel happier & healthier; one cup of positive energy at a time! All of their...
The Year You Saved Mental Health Swims
Mental Health Swims in Parliament
On Monday 18th September, Mental Health Swims was invited to the Houses of Parliament for the launch of the new Swim England report, ‘Value of Swimming’. The report revealed that water-based activities helped to generate more than £2.4 billion of social value in 2022,...
The Tidal Year x Mental Health Swims
This blog post is written by Freya Bromley, author of The Tidal Year When people ask me how to get into cold water swimming, I usually suggest starting in September when the water is warmest and keep going throughout winter if you can. I followed none of this...
60 Full Moons
5 years ago, Mercè and me, Joan, decided that we would swim in the sea all year round, every day and without a wetsuit, regardless of whether it was too cold, too warm, raining or snowing; regardless of jellyfish (who despite their stings, could be pleasant company)....
Amber Fillary – Free Diver & Record Holder
I’m Amber Fillary. I swim, I free-dive and I ice-dive. My life is messy. I struggle. I have severe depression and will battle my life long with addictions and eating disorders. I have good days, I have bad days, and somehow along the way I’ve stayed alive and become....
My First Mental Health Swim – Katie
I did my first Mental Health Swim on a Sunday in Whitstable with Hayley. (@hayley_yoga). I was nervous 😬 but excited to meet new likeminded people. It was well organised: I spotted the pink pirate flag straight away and the spot was perfect (I actually visited...
My First Mental Health Swim – Sally
I am 53 and was always an absolute dud at exercise through school. Overweight for most of my life which brought with it a lack of body confidence or any desire to try physical activity apart from the odd burst of jogging. I have a young son and I didn’t want to be a...
My First Mental Health Swim – Liz
Wild swimming is something that I have wanted to try for a while now and quite literally didn’t know how to take the plunge. I came across MHS on instagram as one of the ladies that I follow is a MHS host. Tina was absolutely brilliant in explaining everything to me...
My First Mental Health Swim – Ellie Cain
This time last year, in the middle of the first lockdown, I was 5 days away from giving birth to my third baby. I’d had anxiety and depression throughout the pregnancy and was being closely monitored by the perinatal mental health team. After a few months of...
Lessons From A Pandemic
When COVID hit, none of us really envisaged how much grief we’d experience, how much we’d lose, or how our lives would change irreversibly. For many of us, dealing with anxiety is nothing new, but the changes we’re all experiencing and the ways in which we are responding to this crisis are unprecedented. So much so, that even those normally unscathed by mental illness find themselves shaken to the core.
Swim4Akhirah
Nina Abeysuriya (@beingontheinside) - our inclusivity advocate - chats to Ola Alghazzouli. America based Ola is a certified personal trainer, functional fitness specialist, swim instructor, podcast host and biology & health promotion graduate to name a few...
The Healing Madness of Sea Swimming by Dr Mark Harper
When his local pool was closed, a friend suggested to Dr. Mark Harper that he try swimming in the chilly sea off Brighton (UK). 13 years on, and Harper dives in, year round, even on Christmas Day (without a wetsuit!). His pioneering research suggests ‘cold water...
Women Open Water Swimming Event for International Women’s Day 2021
An event held on 8th March 2021 hosted by the Institute for Women’s Health, University College London for International Women’s Day 2021. A growing number of women are turning to open water swimming to enjoy a vibrant community, getting back to nature and the health benefits.
Mental Health Swims being interviewed on ITV News
Mental Health Swims Founder, Rachel Ashe, was interviewed on ITV News on the 11th February 2021 talking about the benefits of cold water swimming.
ShAFF Online – Rachel Ashe – founder of Mental Health Swims
Mental Health Swims Founder, Rachel Ashe, took part in Sheffield Adventure Film Festival’s recent series talking about our growing network of outdoor swimming groups offering peer-to-peer support across the UK, and transforming lives in the process.