Kate Rew
Kate Rew founded The Outdoor Swimming Society (OSS) in 2006 and has been delighted to see it grow into the movement that it is today. At the start of 2020 the OSS had over 100,000 members across its channels: the free newsletter elsewhere, OSS Instagram, and a thriving Facebook community. It has taken tens of thousands of swimmers on beautiful long distance swims since it’s inception. Kate is now the Creative Director for the Fundraising arm of The OSS, and runs the society from her little garden office.
Kate grew up swimming in a river in Devon, swam all over the country for her book Wild Swim, and now lives with her husband and children in Somerset. In 2016 she received an award from the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) for her contributions to recreational swimming.
To talk to Kate’s agent please call Patrick Walsh at PEW Literary.
Follow Kate on Instagram @kate_rew
Follow the OSS @theoutdoorswimmingsociety
Robert Macfarlane
Rob is the author of Mountains of the Mind and The Wild Places, and a Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where outdoor swimming has allegedly been going on since 1692. He is a mountain climber whose ideal mountain day ends with a plunge in a river, loch or the sea.
He’s been winter swimming in Beijing’s imperial lakes, in the Himalayas, and once went green after diving into a Devon lake on New Year’s Day. He was a good friend and swimming companion of the late Roger Deakin, author of the swimming classic ‘Waterlog’.
Follow Rob on @robgmacfarlane
Alastair Humphreys
Alastair Humphreys is a British Adventurer, Author and Blogger who joined the OSS as a patron in 2018. Alastair spent over four years cycling round the world, a journey of 46,000 miles through 60 countries and five continents.
More recently Alastair has walked across southern India, rowed across the Atlantic Ocean, run six marathons through the Sahara desert, completed a crossing of Iceland, busked through Spain and participated in an expedition in the Arctic, close to the magnetic North Pole. He has trekked 1000 miles across the Empty Quarter desert and 120 miles round the M25 – one of his pioneering microadventures. And he swims on them all – “including in the Empty Quarter when we swam in a puddle after a sudden storm!”
Alastair was named as one of National Geographic’s Adventurers of the Year in 2012. He loves wild swimming and believes it has an important contribution to make to people’s fun, mental and physical health, love and protection of the landscape, and sense of adventure. He sees the role of the OSS is to raise the profile of swimming outdoors in order to help care for wild places and permit legal access to these places. His ambition as a patron of the OSS is to encourage more people to leap into a river for the very first time.
Calum Maclean
Calum is an obsessive outdoor swimmer, swimming year round in skins – sometimes dipping, sometimes longer distance. ‘The lure of new water is what drives me. I can never settle at having a “regular” swim spot, and living in the Highlands of Scotland, I am spoilt for choice. Hunting out lochs in the hills, or river pools, hidden from roads and crowds: this makes me feel alive; swimming allows me to relax, think and fires my creativity.”
Calum has been a huge contributor to the outdoor swimming community in recent years, with his photography, filming and swimming all combining in some viral films. We were delighted to have him join the team in 2017 as an ambassador. “In 2018 I’ll be sharing more films, photos, swim discoveries and stories with the OSS, and plotting more swims on the map. The more people who are encouraged to dip a toe, or dive into the world of outdoor swimming, the better!”
“People often ask me why I swim in so many places, and how it started. I’m never quite sure but I can trace a jump in my swimming frequency to a solo crossing of the River Derwent in Hobart, Tasmania in 2009. After talking to my father, who it turns out was a young bushwalker, I realise he used to regularly “bag” lakes and rivers in Tasmania with friends – so perhaps the obsession is in the genes!”
Follow Calum’s photography (and enjoy his humour) on Instagram: @caldamac, his blog goneoffswimming.com, and in viral videos on BBC The Social on wild swimming, and TV series for the Gaelic channel BBC ALBA – Dhan Uisge (Into the Water).
Beth Pearson
Beth joined the OSS in 2018 as a writer and sub-editor of the then-bi-weekly newsletters and has been editor of ‘elsewhere’ since its launch in January 2020. As former features journalist, Beth enjoys the creative challenge of ‘elsewhere’ and the increasing pressure to cover outdoor swimming in fresh and meaningful ways. She became a Director of the OSS in January 2021. In this role, she looks forward to helping internationalise the OSS, while hopefully still being able to vote on t-shirt colours.
Beth’s first swimming love is the sea, having grown up close to the coastline of the north-east of Scotland. This continued into adulthood as an uncontemplated compulsion to strip and dip. Then she began a PhD and, needing somewhere to hide, became far less spontaneous about swimming indoors and out. Now working as an academic in Glasgow, she swims in nearby lochs while persistently craving saltwater and, increasingly, rivers. She has a long-standing hankering to spend a long weekend swimming navigable sections of the Rivers Spey, Findhorn and Lossie, in a Motherland Triple.
If you have previous journalism or publishing experience and would like to join the ‘elsewhere’ team as a writer or editor, get in touch with Beth at editor@outdoorswimmingsociety.com
Kari Furre
Kari, a Devon sculptor and swimmer, is the OSS muse. Where Kari dreams, the rest of us follow – she has worked with Kate on many things that have become mainstays of the OSS movement, such as Breastrokes (our inland charity swims held in 2006 and 2007), the Dart10k, the Swoosh and the Hurly Burly.
Kari is an active swimmer in Devon, where she lives, and is constantly investigating and introducing people to new stretches of the coast and the Dart. She teaches swimming in Devon and London, specialising in a very gentle kind of instruction and effortless swimming that gets you thinking of your relation to the water, helps overcome deep water fears, and has everyone under her tuition doing butterfly in a light, grunt-free way.
To see her sculpture and work with fish skin: www.karifurre.co.uk.
Simon Kerslake
Aptly born under the sign of the fish, Simon spent an inordinate amount of his childhood spellbound by TV shows The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau and The Man From Atlantis and books such as The Fascinating World of Oceans and Islands whilst dreaming of a life spent underwater. Competitive swimming gave way to scuba diving in his 20’s and he now indulges himself with both diving and OW distance swimming.
He can be found throughout the year at Parliament Hill Lido, and when open, various bodies of open water around London. One day he will realise his dream of a house with a sea view.
He is happiest when immersed.
Follow Simon on instagram: @simon.in.the.water
Interested in joining the OSS Team? Contact Simon at secretary@outdoorswimmingsociety.com
Ali Couch
Ali is the first port of call for community initiatives and activities involving The OSS. She is keen to forge partnerships for the benefit of swimmers and the swimming community in the UK and internationally.
Ali joined The OSS in 2019 and established our international wild swim group network.
Ali set up the swimming collective Solent Outdoor Swimmers in 2018, so she has first hand experience of the difference swim groups make to the local community and the challenges they face too.
You can contact Ali on outreach@outdoorswimmingsociety.com.
Ali’s career is in communications. She spent nine years working for the House of Lords and 15 years working in the charity and education sectors. She grew up in Portsmouth, where her passion for swimming and travelling began. She has backpacked through 70 countries (so far) and has swam off every continent. She is a keen scuba diver and a marine survey volunteer for ORCA.
Cameron Alexander
Cameron began working as a photographer at the age of 17 after moving to London from the north of England. He spent 11 years collaborating with various clients and producing documentary work, as well as working on exhibitions and creating a series of photobooks before leaving London in 2019 to move to Scotland.
Cameron’s love of outdoor swimming started from a young age at the swimming baths in the estate he lived on. When given a choice between the indoor or outdoor pool, he would always ask for the outdoor. He remembers many days submerging himself under the water in the rain and finding the sight as he looked up to be some kind of magic. Access to open water was not something he had a lot of as a child, but he is making up for that as best he can in his adult years.
Cameron lives on the Moray Coast in Scotland with his lurcher Sid. Access to open water is now something he has in abundance, with the sea being a short walk from his home as well as nearby lochs and rivers to enjoy.
He continues to work as a Photographer but also lends his time to other creative projects and the occasional writing.
Swimming in the rain is still his favourite time to swim.
Follow Cameron on instagram :@earlydunk
Gillian Waddell
Gillian has loved swimming since she was a baby. She has been passionate about outdoor swimming in particular for many years, which in turn ignited her enthusiasm for triathlon. The swimming element is still easily her favourite of the three disciplines.
Gillian’s swimming regime at her local Lido is part and parcel of her daily life. Her favourite outdoor location is in the wild and beautiful waters of East Lothian in her native Scotland. On land, Gillian is Managing Director of Fuel PR, an award-winning boutique communications agency based in South-West London.
She attributes her boundless energy to the joy and relaxation she finds from swimming in all weathers, combined with her natural competitive edge. Gillian thrives on setting personal challenges, so she competes in local and national events when she can find time in her busy diary.
Please contact Gilly on press@outdoorswimmingsociety.com or 07831 411661.
Oli Pitt
Oliver was an early convert to the way of the Outdoor Swimming Society and has been up-hill and down-dale on swims – as well as stoking the hot tub, mulling the wine and making the chai – ever since.
Never short of a good idea, and not work-shy, Oli moderates the OSS Facebook group and page and is a regular face at OSS Events. He swam the Dart10k 10 mile course in 2015 and did a channel relay in 2016. Oli looks after the OSS Facebook group, keeping it friendly and ad-free. Oli was a director until 2020, when he stepped down to focus on his new business, Helves.
Patrick Naylor
Patrick started outdoor swimming as a child on family holidays to Cornwall. As a student, looking for a break from swimming lengths with his University team, he began to explore wild swimming spots whenever he went back home to North Yorkshire. Now based in London, he enjoys swimming at Parliament Hill Lido but is happiest searching for deep pools and channels in the Lake District, Highlands and beyond.
Patrick works in publishing and writes for elsewhere. If you have a book which touches on outdoor swimming and/or the natural world, please feel free to contact him: patrick-naylor@outlook.com
Nathan Willmott
Nathan is a lawyer at the firm Ashurst and has been providing legal advice to the Outdoor Swimming Society on a pro bono basis since 2008. His advice to the OSS covers many issues, including access rights for swimmers, intellectual property and legal liability issues.
Swimming outdoors has inherent issues and so we are profoundly thankful to Ashurst for providing the OSS with a framework that allows us to continue to do so with passion and common sense.
It was as a result of Nathan’s loyal support that we were able to operate free ‘social swims’ under the terms of the Swim Responsibility Statement in the early days of Facebook – an operation in personal responsibility and freedom which led to the establishment of Facebook wild swimming groups across the land. Nathan also enabled us to make a deposition to the Welsh Assembly on Inland Access, and countless other smaller victories along the way. He wants to see a clear legal framework in England and Wales permitting responsible swimming in our rivers, lakes and reservoirs to match the position in Scotland since 2005.
Whenever he can escape his desk, Nathan heads for the water. His favourite swimming holes are Parliament Hill Lido in London and Derwent Water in Cumbria. He is always on the lookout for new and fun swimming challenges and has particularly enjoyed swimming the Solent, the Dart, the Mawddach, Lake Bled, Lake Bohinj and the Hellespont.
Robert Aspey
Robert became interested in trying to increase outdoor swimming facilities in England and Wales after experiencing the plentiful swimming lakes and reservoirs in countries such as Germany, France and Switzerland.
He and Chris Dalton set up the OSS Inland Access Group in 2012 in order to help members work together, discuss and share advice to increase access to inland water for swimming. It is managed via a Facebook Group, which welcomes new members and includes helpful guides and information to help with increasing access.
The group has had several high profile successes opening up new bathing areas such as Rutland Water Bathing Beach and Swan Pool near Birmingham, and is making good progress on similar projects with members across England and Wales.
Robert can be contacted via the Facebook Group or by email.
Chris Dalton
Chris broke free from the confines of the swimming pool on a beautiful June evening in 2010 when he went on an OSS Full Moon swim in the Nene. Since then he has been more often spotted splashing his way down the Thames than up and down a pool. He is currently working with the Canal and River Trust in an attempt to secure greater access to their waterways.
Contact Chris here
Imogen Radford
Imogen likes swimming in rivers. She first did it as a child, but then rediscovered her passion for it in 2012, after reading Roger Deakin’s Waterlog. She set about revisiting places where Roger Deakin had swum, visiting places others swim and finding her own swimming spots for dips or slightly longer swims (these days all through the year).
In discovering outdoor swimming Imogen very soon realised that it is surrounded with issues about access to inland waters and – connected issues – how important it is for better understanding of swimmers by others, especially the authorities, and for swimmers to understand how to swim safely. Without more places to swim, people have fewer opportunities to learn how to do so safely.
So Imogen has now become involved in campaigns and discussions about access through her work as part of the Inland Access Group.
Owen Hayman
Owen is a swimming access campaigner, living and swimming in the middle of what was once known as “Sheffield Lakeland”, an area dominated by large majestic functioning reservoir lakes.
Along with many others in the wider Yorkshire area and beyond, Owen is working to bring swimmers together, to collectively challenge social stigmas and the widespread prohibition of free outdoor swimming in inland waters.
Follow Owen on instagram: @owainhaeman
David Pye
David’s connection with water began at a very early age through days spent swimming on holiday. Later in life, he developed a passion for both sailing and surfing. He enjoys the connection to nature, whether that be through its power and the exhilaration it can bring or conversely, the calming grounding effects it induces. His favourite thing to do is to sit on his surfboard at sunrise.
David has a BSc in Marine Resource Management. Whilst in Tenerife gathering data for his thesis on whale-watching, he inadvertently swam with hammerhead sharks. He has always dipped wherever he has travelled, notably in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean whilst racing a yacht to the Caribbean. Other memorable swim spots include fjords in Norway, waterfalls in New Zealand and a river in Russia whilst participating in The Mongol Rally.
Born and raised in Northumberland, David now lives on the edge of the Lake District. In 2019 he dipped 150 times after quickly completing his initial challenge of the 16 lakes. He would like to start swimming for longer but acknowledges that he needs a wetsuit!
David enjoys photography, design and the written word so jumped at the chance when invited to become Instagram Editor/Curator.
Follow David on instagram @davpye
Sus Davy
Sus’ love of immersion in cold water was founded from a young age after her parents took her and her siblings on regular sea swims throughout the cold English winters.
Growing up in landlocked Bath, Sus discovered the joy of river swimming in her early teens, although never managed to find many friends willing to brave the water with her. She now swims regularly with the Bath Openwater Beauts and thrives on the community she has met through outdoor swimming.
After 15 years of weaving in and out of the hospitality industry, Sus now owns and runs a vegan cafe in Bath – Cascara.
Contact Sus on groups@outdoorswimmingsociety.com
Follow Sus on instagram @roughmeasures
Amanda D'Cruz
Like many of us in the outdoor swimming community, Amanda found swimming at a young age through competing. After many years getting up at the crack of dawn and taking part in meets all over the country, she hung up her goggles in early adulthood after sustaining an injury. It took more than a decade hiatus to rekindle her love of the sport, but after dipping a toe in open water, she never looked back.
A London based open-water swimming enthusiast, photographer, writer, adventurer, scientist and life coach, you can usually find her frolicking in or around a body of water. She is a proud year round skins swimmer and likes to frequent the many delightful outskirts of London swim spots where she has met a vibrant swimming community of other like-minded swim fanatics.
As Community Manager on the Instagram team Amanda knows and appreciates the value of swimming not only as an activity in its own right but also its importance in building community through shared experience.
Follow Amanda on instagram @wunderingfeet
Liz Vancura
Liz can mainly be found in, on, or under water. Growing up on the Gower coast in South Wales meant being spoiled for choice with a range of amazing beaches within walking distance, and ‘secret swimming spots’ in the Brecon Beacons only a short drive away.
Now based in North Carolina, USA, Liz is swimming/paddling her way around the rivers, lakes and state parks of NC and the eastern seaboard with husband and two little girls in tow.
An Oceanographer and scuba instructor by training, Liz worked on Science and Natural History programmes at the BBC, being lucky enough to dive and swim ‘some ridiculously amazing spots’ and get to call it work! Now she gets to swim with the sharks at the North Carolina aquarium and teach children about marine conservation.
Anna Morell
Anna has been wearing different swimming hats for The OSS since 2008.
She has previously helmed our newsletter, as well as worked on our media output and creative projects.
A wild swimmer since toddlerhood, she can be found most often on Kent’s more rural beaches.
As a disabled person, Anna has an interest in the accessibility of locations, clothing and kit.
Lou Barber
Lou is a childcare lawyer who would rather be swimming.
Located in Devon, Lou has access to the swimming delights of the River Dart, the South Hams beaches and Dartmoor as well as the many local lidos.
She also loves swimming in the lakes and tarns of the Lake District.
Lou loves long distance swims, has completed the Dart 10k ten times and Windermere twice but is happy to swim or dip anywhere and anytime of the year as long as it is outdoors.
