Also at the demonstration was Emma, a Mental Health Nurse and passionate advocate for wild swimming and the benefits of spending time outdoors.
‘From a healthcare perspective, wild swimming ticks all the boxes of the biopsychosocial model for health promotion, prevention and recovery. Looking at ways which we can improve people’s health for free, should be high on the government’s agenda, especially ones which may result in longer lasting positive changes than just prescribing medication on its own,’ she says.
‘This is why I, and hundreds of others, joined the Kinder trespass swim. To continue fighting to open up the countryside for all. I hope the roaming rights will increase and include areas for swimming. I would also like to see investment in how we can make the outdoors accessible for all, as there continues to be disparities in use.’
‘It’s a joyous activity and I wish for everyone to have the opportunity to try it, or to just enjoy the great outdoors and laugh at us strange folk who like to get cold for a hobby from the water’s edge!’
Swimmers were given guidance on water safety by the Outdoor Swimming Society and the event passed peacefully and without disturbance, with one police officer joking that he ‘had his Speedos on underneath’. The weekend also saw walkers take to the hills, not only on Kinder Scout but at multiple venues throughout the UK in satellite events to mark the 90th anniversary of the original trespass.
For another four-minute wild swimming fix, check out Andrew Birkett’s story about the transformative power of the ocean in The Freedom It Gives Me.