Mental health swims- ‘Dips not distances, community not competition’

Fitting in is never easy and a personality disorder diagnosis makes being on the outside a daily reality. That was true for Mental Health Swims founder Rachel Ashe. Trying new activities felt daunting but on New Years day 2019, Rachel found the courage to join a group swim and this sparked a fire in her. Amazed at the positive effects of cold-water, she started a monthly swim meet-up at her local beach. This meet-up became Mental Health Swims, a social enterprise fighting stigma through cold-water and community.

During lockdown in 2020, 80 outdoor cold-water dips formed across the UK. Mental Health Swims now works with an incredible team of volunteers to make safe, welcoming spaces for anyone struggling with their mental health.

Morecambe hosted it’s first mental health swim in April 2021, myself (Nim) and my co-host Kit have since hosted a swim one Friday a month. These swims are not about us being there as experts or being professionally trained swim organisers but are about creating an opportunity for a group of individuals to meet and offer each other peer support in swimming outdoors as a means to support our mental health.

Part of this event will be an award winning film 'Eden Elgeti' - Eden Elgeti was part way through her male to female transition when she realised she wanted biological children in the future. Told she was now unable to produce fertile sperm after the hormone treatments, a medical practitioner suggested there was a very small chance cold water might help reverse the effects.

Eden Elgeti Awards:

Kendall Mountain Film Festival (Official Selection 2021)

Nottingham International Film Festival (Official Selection 2021)

Bristol Independent Film Festival (Best Student Film 2021)

The Palace International Film Festival (Official Selection 2021)

Leeds International Film Festival (Official Selection 2021)

NAHEMI – National Student Film Awards (Best Factual 2021)

NAHEMI – National Student Film Awards (Best Cinematography 2021)

NAHEMI Eat Our Shorts (Best Film Award 2021)

Grierson - The British Documentary Awards (Best Student Documentary Official Shortlist 2021)

Manchester Film Festival (Official Selection 2022)

London Mountain Film Festival (Official Selection 2022)

The Royal Television Society Student Awards (Best Factual 2022)

The Royal Television Society Student Awards (Best Camerawork 2022)