With pollution at high levels and growing worse, some keen swimmers have stopped going in the sea. Many have felt the impact on their mental health – not to mention the pain and discomfort of E coli
Jill Reidy discovered sea swimming just last year, but the impact on her life has already been tangible. “I almost immediately noticed an improvement in my mental health and feelings of wellbeing,” says Reidy, who is 71 and lives in Blackpool. “I was persuaded to try it and have not looked back. It’s like being a kid again when you’re screaming and jumping over the waves.”
This summer, though, sewage alerts have forced her out of the water. Reidy, who is part of a group who swim at Cleveleys beach, a few miles north of the resort, has only been in a handful of times since mid-June, whereas normally she swam at least four times a week, wearing a wetsuit and gloves in the winter.
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