Despite freezing conditions, more than 50 people took part in a cold-water swim at Parliament Hill Lido, braving icy temperatures to raise money for charity while when most other Londoners were hibernating in their homes with the heating up.
The event on January 10 was organised by Chilly Dippers, a group that promotes the physical and mental health benefits of cold-water swimming, alongside Suicide&Co., a charity supporting people bereaved by suicide.
Olivia Sharron, founder of Chilly Dippers, started the group eight years ago to foster a sense of community with like-minded people who enjoy cold water swimming and socialising away from their phones.
Sharron said: “I realised when I moved to London that often that sense of community is lost or it’s quite hard to find, so I wanted to bring my love of swimming, being in the cold, being in nature and socialising together.
“I’m super happy with the turnout. I feel like if you get anywhere over ten people to swim in January you’re doing something right, so the fact we had five times the amount is awesome.”
Suicide&Co. was founded by Amelia Wrighton and Emma Morrisroe, who each lost a parent to suicide.
It is the only national charity that provides professional support for those bereaved by suicide, offering one-to-one support through counselling services and a helpline.
The charity says conversation is at the heart of everything it does in helping to tackle stigma around grief and mental health.
More than 6,000 suicide deaths were registered in England and Wales in 2024, which is 11.4 per 100,000 people.
Eve Smith from Suicide&Co. said: “Suicide loss can be really lonely and isolating because it’s so stigmatised. Since 2020 we’ve strived to build a community that makes people feel less alone in their grief.”
“It’s been amazing to see so many people take the time to come and meet new people and do something for their mental health and also support our cause, we couldn’t do it without our community and our supporters.”
“What Liv’s built is so special and needed in society so partnering with another community group like Chilly Dippers was a perfect opportunity for us.”
Parliament Hill Lido is an open-air, unheated pool in north London, open to the public all year round. Since opening in 1938, it has been a much-loved London landmark, giving generations of Londoners an affordable way to swim and a taste of the seaside in the heart of the city.
Today, it has also become a hub for year-round cold-water swimming enthusiasts like Drew, who’d come along to take the plunge. He said: “I’ve always been into cold swimming so I thought it would be fun to go with a group and it seemed like a good community to try out.
“I’m a bit worried, I’ve done cold swimming before but usually I have something warm to go to straight afterwards like a car or a home or a sauna… but with this you’ve just got to wait it out and hope for the best!”
