WeSwim member Esther Kwakye-Manu on how the community disability swimming club provides a safe, supportive space for participants to stay active and connected

WeSwim member Carole Rosanna (credit @NiNo K Photo)

It is said, in the water, no-one can hear you scream – unless of course you are accompanying your little cousin swimming!

A family relative had asked me to take my cousins swimming as way of keeping me occupied from the severe mental health crisis I was dealing with.

At first, it was pain to drag my depressed body out on a weekend, but feeling useful no matter how small was a start, and it helped seeing my little cousins laugh and splash around. I started to get some structure to my days.

The psychotherapist had said exercise could help with my mood – and I hated running, you wouldn’t catch me running unless someone was chasing me – so I slowly started dragging myself swimming at the local pool at Tottenham Green.

Monday sessions were women’s only swimming. It became a way of life. I was gradually sleeping better, was still isolated and struggling, but had found something to help me cope with stressful events in my life.

I started to love swimming, I’d go to evening sessions to float, do laps and dream I was in tropical paradise instead of Tottenham!

But I then hit another crisis and my physical health started to deteriorate. The one anchor in my life was slipping, and I was finding it physically harder to swim. I would get increasingly breathless, my mood started dipping. I looked for supported sessions, which is when I came across WeSwim.

WeSwim is a community which helps disabled people swim and supports them whilst swimming. It’s run by trained volunteers and has branches in Old Street, Tottenham Green and Crouch End.

I explained to the WeSwim manager about my health and how my physical health had declined. The manager was understanding and friendly and they set me up with a volunteer. It was reassuring to have a volunteer on hand, even if it was just to chat up and down the swimming lanes. I rediscovered my love for swimming, but this time I wasn’t as alone.

I sit watching WeSwim members from all walks of life engage with each other. We have a What’s App group to sign up for the sessions weekly and I also hear about other activities in the area. I still struggle with mixing, but am not as isolated as I once was. I have found a tribe and am writing this article to encourage local folks to take a small step, maybe even a swim!

WeSwim is launching its Christmas funding appeal to raise £10,000 — the cost of running one club for six months. Donations start at just £5 and can be made online:
Visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/weswim1

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