Hi! Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page. We are 5 friends / family members: Pippa, Tracey, Zoe, Sara and Tanya, plus Hunter the dog, all newly addicted to the freezing but exhilarating feel-good factor of sea swimming! 

What started out as an ‘ok, let’s give it a go’ dip into the icy Irish Sea (without wetsuits!! 🥶) one Sunday morning, has become a weekly dip amongst many groups of swimmers and dippers at Helen’s Bay!  And despite the initial sting followed by frozen numbness, it is an experience that we all agree leaves us shivering yet totally euphoric and feeling alive. 

Since mental health issues are a cause very close to our hearts,  we thought we would take on the challenge of sea swimming for at least 5 minutes, for 5 days during Mental Health awareness week (10-16th May)  and try to raise much-needed funds for our local charity Action Mental Health. We aim to do this by sticking with our 5 theme and asking for just £5 from anyone wishing to sponsor us! 

Our sea swim challenge seems particularly fitting since this year’s awareness week, hosted by the Mental Health Foundation has the theme of Nature, with a focus on how important reconnecting with nature is to our overall mindset, especially after the last 18 months of lockdown. There has been much written recently about cold water’s positive impact on reducing stress and relieving inflammation, helping a range of mental health and nervous conditions. 

So please help us help AMH help save lives and improve lives by donating £5 through JustGiving - it’s simple, fast and totally secure, and your details won’t be sold on, so you won’t receive unwanted emails. Your £5 will go straight to Action Mental Health in Newtownards where it will be put to the best use for those struggling with bipolar, depression, anxiety, Alzheimer’s and other mental disorders and diseases.