Kendal Mountain Festival, here we come!

Join our Outdoor Swimming Session at Kendal Mountain Festival for an exhilarating journey through rivers, lakes and the sea as seen through the goggles of swimmers from around the world. Editor Ella Foote, hosting the event, will be joined on stage by some incredible swimmers sharing their stories.

Join our Outdoor Swimming Session on 23 November at Kendal Mountain Festival for an exhilarating journey through rivers, lakes and the sea as seen through the goggles of swimmers from around the world. Editor Ella Foote, hosting the event, will be joined on stage by some incredible swimmers to sharing their stories.

Empowerment and friendship

We are delighted to be joined by Katie Wotton, the subject of the beautiful animated short film Plunge, which tells Katie’s story as she found empowerment, friendship and healing in the frigid sea. The film describes the physical and mental struggles that plagued Katie for decades, as her animated form darts confidently through kelp forests on the ocean floor. We will also be joined on stage by film producer and founder of Tyke Films, Rebecca Mark-Lawson, for an exclusive insight into how the film was created.

The fastest woman to swim Lake Geneva

Open water swimming coach and ultra-marathon swimmer Sam Farrow will share her experience of becoming the fastest woman to swim Lake Geneva, a distance of 45.2 miles in 22 hours and 48 minutes. Sam has swum all her life, starting as a competitive pool swimmer and transitioning to open water as she got older. As well as her Lake Geneva world record, she is also the first person to swim the length of all three biggest lochs in Scotland, Loch Awe, Loch Lomond and Loch Ness.

Reclaim The Sea

Reclaim the Sea helps refugees and asylum seekers experience the sea as a safe and joyful space. Through swimming and watersports lessons, they provide skills to help cope with trauma, boost physical health, mental wellbeing and a sense of community. We’ll be joined by three amazing individuals involved with the project:

• Bristol-based Rebecca Wetten leads Reclaim the Sea in the west and this year did a fundraiser swim (13km of loops around a quarry!) to raise funds for swimming programmes next summer for refugees and asylum-seekers in the region.
• Anna Southwell started ‘The Supermares’ to help people reimagine the idea of swimming in the murky waters of Weston Super Mare. As one of the Refugees Welcome North Somerset team, she coordinates between local refugees and Reclaim the Sea.
• Yasser Kebbeh is a recently qualified Open Water Lifeguard. As a newly settled refugee from Syria, he was invited to get qualified by local group The Mudlarks. On Yasser’s journey from the Middle East to the UK, he swam for 10 hours as part of a crossing and is happy now to have a positive relationship with the sea.

Ice Breakers

After struggling with personal experiences of depression, anxiety and the loss of a friend who tragically took their own life, Tim, Jack and Arron decided something needed to be done to help men with their mental health. They founded Ice Breakers, a community of men supporting men, using the health benefits of cold water immersion. We’ll see their film, and hear more from the three founders on their work to build a community.

Sh*t Swimmer

Sara Lessmann is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor, and YouTuber. An avid weightlifter and outdoor sports lover, she’s always looking for ways to combine her love of movement with her creative flair.

Sara will be sharing her new film, Sh*t Swimmer, set in 2028 where swimming is illegal because of sewage dumping, but one self-proclaimed daredevil seeks to break a record swim time in polluted water without getting sick or arrested.

The Outdoor Swimming Session takes place in Kendal Town Hall on 23 November at 12.30pm

 Lead photo by Jumpy James Photography. Thank you to our event support partner dryrobe