Thank you, Jonny!

Last month, Contributing Editor Jonathan Cowie wrote his last column for the magazine after over a decade dedicated to Outdoor Swimmer. Founder and Publisher Simon Griffiths and Editor Ella Foote are grateful for all Jonathan has done for swimming and for the magazine. Here we say thank you…

With thanks from Simon:

Jonathan has made an enormous contribution to Outdoor Swimmer in his 10 years with the team. He joined as Editor when we were part-owned by Mash Media and worked out of an office in Wimbledon. Mash Media, as a business-to-business publisher, wasn’t the best cultural fit for H2Open (as we were then) and we went our separate ways shortly after Jonathan joined. Jonathan kept a steady editorial hand on the magazine while we navigated that separation and became an independent publisher.

Not long after, Jonathan pushed for a rebranding to Outdoor Swimmer and led the subsequent redesign and relaunch. At the same time, we switched from a bi-monthly to monthly publication. These changes, along with Jonathan’s editorial leadership, led to several years of steady growth in readership. Jonathan was an early advocate of winter swimming, which enabled us to cover the topic with authority as it grew in popularity. He also always strove to be inclusive and to showcase the diversity within the outdoor swimming community.

He helped steer us through the pandemic, which was a difficult time. Advertising revenue dried up overnight forcing us to switch to a digital-only publication for four months. Jonathan took on extra work to help manage our costs. However, despite pandemic-related growth in open water swimming, our reader numbers declined. You didn’t want a digital-only publication. So in September 2020, we returned to print with a bumper issue that exceeded our sales expectations and resulted in us printing additional copies.

Meanwhile, Jonathan was going through several changes in his personal life that eventually resulted in him moving out of London and to the Lake District. Despite this, he continued producing Outdoor Swimmer monthly and his new life in the Lakes resulted in fresh ideas for the magazine.

Living in the Lakes gave Jonathan opportunities to explore other swimmingrelated work and volunteering options beyond Outdoor Swimmer. This finally led to Jonathan asking if he could step down as Editor but continue working with us on a part-time basis. He even went to the trouble of arranging his successor (Ella) and ensured a smooth hand-over of editorial control. Since then, he’s been our representative in the Lake District, has written regular columns and articles for the magazine and managed our marketing communications.

Outdoor Swimmer wouldn’t be the publication it is today without Jonathan’s dedication and vision. Although he’s now moving on to different projects and ending his formal relationship with Outdoor Swimmer, I suspect (and hope) that we haven’t seen the last of him. Look out for him swimming around the Lake District or at other swimming events, and perhaps the occasional guest appearance within these pages. Thanks for everything, Jonathan. It’s been a pleasure working with you and getting to know you.

A note from the editor:

In 2017, the magazine, which was then known as H2Open was rebranded as Outdoor Swimmer and Editor, Jonathan Cowie made the magazine into a monthly, rather than bi-monthly publication. I was a long-time fan and occasional contributor of the magazine and I was in a pivotal year myself. I was due to be made redundant from a business I had worked in for 12 years and was considering a future freelancing with some swim-coaching on the side. Serendipitously, Jonny got in touch to ask if I would consider becoming a regular contributor to the new-look Outdoor Swimmer. Of course, I said yes and over time with further changes in the team I became Contributing Editor and then in 2022 Jonathan and I switched roles and I took on his role as Editor.

Over my time working with Jonathan, we have really seen some significant changes in the world as well as with outdoor swimming. There has been some brilliant days of sunshine, swims and laughter as everyone seemed to fall in love with wild water. There were weird days staring at each other virtually during the global pandemic and there were days where we travelled together to swim with others and explore new water. I will never forget our super trip to Morocco for a winter swim championship or when we would visit the Lakes together before he finally made the move there a few years ago.

Taking on the Editor role was a huge change for me and huge task, but it was made easier and more enjoyable with Jonathan at my side as Contributing Editor. I am going to miss his words in the magazine, his support in the team and rolling our eyes at each other when the swimming world takes itself too seriously! But I hope once he is settled in his new job I can commission him for features in the future. Thanks for being a brilliant boss, super friend and lovely writer to work with. Looking forward to seeing you in Kendal this autumn!