The first swim at Barcombe Mills, East Sussex

I felt like I had already got to know a little about the people who were coming to take part in the swims, by the time we all met as a group for the first time. That initial moment was quite exciting for me as I knew that we were all there for passionate reasons - and these motivations were very varied. For some, wild swimming was a terrified yearning, a longing to swim outdoors but with too many worries to actually do it.

Overcoming these fears was a liberating and joyful experience.

The aim of the project.....

The aim of the project was to deepen the individual experience of Outdoor Swimming and in doing so to broaden the ways this can be shared with others. We sat quietly before the swims, sinking fully into our bodies, and turning awareness into our physical senses and the surroundings. We swam silently at first and then engaged in conversation if we felt like it. We tried to notice everything we were experiencing in the water. We had the opportunity to respond creatively to each swim at the location, on the waterside. The creative response could be writing, painting, drawing and was kept in our own journals. I advertised for 10 participants via the Pells Pool, Lewes and within a few weeks had over 100 people write to me asking if they could take part. Finally I picked my group... 13 in the end. We went on four different swims over the space of a couple of weeks - all in East Sussex: Barcombe Mills river at late evening, Tide Mills Sea at dawn, Weir Wood reservoir at early evening and Pells Pool lido at full moon. Since then, many of us meet up frequently and are enjoying these new friendships!

It was as if this had been brewing for a while...

This project somehow brought together my passions and interests... Philosophy, education, nature, sport development, swimming and spirituality... an unusual combination for many! And here I found myself in a place where somehow it came together into a meaningful whole.

The project group sharing on the river bank before our swim at Barcombe Mills (swim 1).

How it all began..

Around May time this year I woke up at 3am with the beginnings of an idea. I was struck by how energised and inspired i felt so spontaneously in the middle of the night! I didn't know all the details at that point, but over the coming weeks it all took shape, and the Creative Swimming Project began and became one of the highlights of my summer 2013. I knew I wanted my friend and artist Alinah Azadeh to work with me.

Alinah and I at Weir Wood Reservoir (swim 3)