Two weekends of swimming celebration in Weston-super-Mare
This Sunday 1 October Weston Marine Lake will be celebrating the 75th birthday of the NHS, followed by a ‘Why Women Swim’ conversation on 8 October, hosted by our very own Ella Foote
It looks set to be a busy couple of weekends in Weston-super-Mare this month, with a 75th birthday celebration of the NHS in Weston Marine Lake on 1 October, followed by a Why Women Swim event at The Grand Pier on 8 October. The latter event is part of Weston Lit Fest – a day of author events about land and sea.
A celebration of the NHS
At 2pm on 1 October, SW!M 75 will be showcased in the beautiful setting of Weston Marine Lake. The show will feature local NHS stories within a soundscape, performed to by Weston’s newly established Super Synchro group, alongside NHS workers and members of the public. No tickets are required for this event – just turn up and enjoy. Find out more about the event here.
Also at Marine Lake from 12pm – 5pm (booking details to be announced), you can take to a rowing boat and lap up a new story commission for Luke Jerram’s installation ‘Crossings’, produced by Radio 4 producer Julian May. The story pays tribute to the interlinking journeys of Windrush and NHS, both reaching a milestone 75 this year. This story will premier on the first day of Black History Month.
Why Women Swim
The following weekend on 8 October as part of Weston Lit Fest, Outdoor Swimmer editor Ella Foote will be hosting Why Women Swim – a conversation with fellow writer-swimmers Freya Bromley, Jenny Landreth and Catherine Joy White. The event starts at 11am.
Freya will be talking about her book The Tidal Year; a true story about the healing power of wild swimming and the space it creates for reflection, rewilding and hope. Jenny will be talking about book Swell: A Waterbiography – a funny and bold account, part social history and part memoir, of how women fought their way into the water and what they did once they got there. Meanwhile, Cat will be talking about her film Fifty-Four Days, which follows the journey of a girl who starts swimming in the wake of losing her father to suicide. The story echoes elements of Cat’s own experience and her love of the “holy place” of wild swimming.
Find out more about SW!M 75 here, and about the Why Women Swim event here.
Abigail Whyte
Abi writes swimming news stories and features for the Outdoor Swimmer website and manages the social media channels. She loves to swim, run, hike and SUP close to her home in Herefordshire. While she’s a keen wild swimmer, Abi is new to the world of open water events and recently completed her first open water mile. She has previously written for The Guardian, BBC Countryfile Magazine, BBC History Magazine and Ernest Journal.
