Brockwell Swimmers Ben and Bella love the water and have completed many open water distance swims, but their true love is wild cold water swimming. Ben says “the rush that you get from wild swimming is like no other”. Bella has been wild swimming for a couple of years, but this is Ben’s first season of cold water swimming. They fell in love through their love of swimming and it felt right to complete a challenge together. 

As well as testing their motivation over a prolonged period of time, they also wanted to raise money for a cause that was close to their hearts. Ben’s granddad loved the water, whether it was swimming, sailing or just being beside it. He also lived with Parkinsons’ for over 30 years, which is why they chose Parkinson’s UK as their charity to raise money for. 

When deciding what the challenge would be, Ben and Bella needed something that would fit into their busy lives. Ben works in London and commutes everyday, therefore a dip a day was out of the question so they needed something they could complete over the weekends. Both have competitive swimming backgrounds so decided to incorporate a distance that was manageable through all the seasons. Hence the 500m each, every Saturday and Sunday, for the whole of 2020, outdoors without a wetsuit, come rain or shine.

We wish them all the best with this awesome challenge. To show your support please visit their Just Giving page at justgiving.com/fundraising/benella-swims

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