Brave Fordingbridge 'wild swimmers' embracing lockdown

The group say popularity of their 'sport' is rising under Covid restrictions

Author: Faye TryhornPublished 8th Feb 2021

The Fordingbridge Wild Swimmers group was only set up last summer, and has been growing ever since.

The idea is simple, go for a dip in the River Avon, while sticking to safety precautions, social distancing, lockdown exercise rules and travel restrictions.

After launching in Fordingbridge for daily swims, it's also expanded into Salisbury, so Covid secure rules can be followed more easily.

Alice Aston founded the group, and explains what she likes about it:

"We can see lots of wildlife, we can have a laugh, and when you swim in the river, you don't actually have to do much swimming! We get in at the top, and then go down with the current, so pretty easy in that respect. It's an adventure every time and definitely an adrenaline thing."

Swooshers say they love the adrenaline rush of getting into rivers, and say it's not actually much swimming, as you follow the current

SUPPORTING CHARITY TOO

As there's no charge for wild swimming, or 'swooshing' as they call it, the group's members decided to donate money to charity for every time they get into the river.

Bev Deakin from Godshill started putting a pound into the pot for each outing, and it's grown from there:

"Every time I mention to someone that I was doing wild swimming, they all said 'that's really great for your mental health'. So I thought maybe we could help other people that can't go swimming. I opened it up to the group and we've raised way more than I thought we were going to."

The group's now raised more than £1,400 for the mental health charity Mind with their efforts.

You can support them on their JustGiving page.

The group's been branching out into Salisbury in recent weeks, so members can still get involved while sticking to Covid travel restrictions

Fordingbridge Wild Swimmers say their pleased by how many people are seeing their pastime as a positive way to spend lockdown.

But they're encouraging people to think about their safety if attempting it, and to follow the Covid restrictions.

Alice Aston from the group says it can be a safe but exciting activity, if done right:

"If you go on your own, and you get in a pickle, there's no-one to help you. Safety wise, it would be a bad idea to start now, if you've not done any outdoor swimming, so maybe wait for some warmer weather. Enter slowly, don't jump into cold water, that's quite risky. I never swim for more than 10 minutes at a time, because it's too cold, and that goes beyond fun."

The swimmers stick to social distancing and exercise rules while they're out - and never go alone for safety reasons

There's more about the activity on the Fordingbridge Wild Swimming Group Facebook page.

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