The Blue Space Project

02/03/2026

A huge THANK YOU 🙏 to the amazing team at Bray Lake for organising such a fantastic Winter Swim Festival! 💙
Not a competition or timed event, but a celebration for everyone who swam right through the Winter!❄️ 🥶 🧊

The whole community came together to cheer swimmers in & out of the 10c water whether you did 100m or 1km didn’t matter. It was a celebration of turning up, getting in & giving it a go! 💪🏊🏊‍♀️

We all got a medal 🏅& raised lots of money for MND with our cake sale 🍰

Open water swimming isn’t just about getting into the water 🌊feeling the chill 🥶and swimming in nature🌳

There’s so much more!
Community💙Challenge 💪Celebration🎉 and Cake 🍰To name a few!! 😁

Giving you a good feeling that lasts long after you’ve got out of the water!! 💙💙💙

27/02/2026

Open Water Swimming? 🏊‍♀️ Cold Water Immersion? 🥶It’s NOT just hype!
There is growing scientific evidence and thousands of swimmers — who can testify to the positive impact open water has on physical and mental wellbeing. At The Blue Space Project, our Wellbeing Course isn’t just about swimming. We see what happens when it’s not just a quick dip but a supported journey…..
It’s about learning, understanding and building confidence — safely and sustainably.
You’ll explore:
🌬 Breathwork techniques to manage stress and cold response
🧠 Mindfulness practices to calm the nervous system
🌊 Safe open water skills and confidence building
💬 Reflection and community support
❄️ The science behind why it works
This is about more than swimming, you’ll learn and experience resilience, regulation and reconnection with your body and mind.🧘‍♂️
The water is warming up and we’re excited to welcome new faces to our next course at Bray Lake.
Would YOU like to kickstart your wellbeing and build real confidence in open water?
We’d love to welcome you!

10/02/2026

People always ask… WHY?! 🤯
Why would you willingly get up on a damp, dark, freezing winter morning and get into a cold lake?!🥶

Honestly… sometimes even I think I must be a bit mad 😅
But then I remember how good it makes me feel.🧘‍♀️

Cold water boosts my mood, helps me feel calmer, and really supports me through menopause. And even on the mornings when getting out of bed feels HARD, just remembering that after-swim feeling gets me down to the lake 💙

Every swim is different — the weather, the seasons, the wildlife… it’s such a privilege to be fully immersed in nature. And those (occasional!) winter sunrises? Absolutely worth it 🌅✨

What really keeps me coming back though is the people. 💙The shared challenge, the laughs, the commitment to show up together. That camaraderie matters so much to me. We’re not doing huge distances — a little bob around is more than enough this time of year!

Do I love the getting into the water? No - it’s not always easy! 😬
Do I LOVE how I feel afterwards? Every. Single. Time.

After a cold swim I honestly think: If I got into a freezing lake this morning… I can handle anything today! 💪
And let’s be honest — rain doesn’t matter when you’re getting wet anyway 😂

This long, soggy winter can feel tough… but these little lake swims are my moments of joy. 🤩They lift the gloom and remind me why finding your WHY matters.

Everyone’s WHY is different — and that’s the magic. As long as you know YOURS.
Whatever you’re doing, find those pockets of joy between the gloomy days… and let them make your heart sing 🎶💙

06/02/2026

Why is this course over 4 weeks ? 🌊❄️
Because cold water confidence isn’t built in one dip.

This course runs over 4 weeks (1.5 hours each week) for a reason — and it’s all about setting you up to actually keep going, not just give it a go once.

Over 4 weeks you’ll:

✨ Build confidence — gradually, safely, and at your own pace
🌦 Experience different weather & water conditions (because no two swims are the same)
🧠 Build knowledge week on week instead of information overload
🤍 Have ongoing support from experienced coaches
🔁 Build a habit, not just tick a box
📍 Get familiar with the environment so it feels less intimidating
👋 Make friends through shared experience
💬 Learn together, laugh together, support each other
🏊‍♀️ Be far more likely to keep swimming after the course ends

We also go deeper into water safety, including how skills transfer to other cold water environments — not just this one spot.

And because this is a wellbeing course, we take time to understand why cold water supports both physical and mental health — so on the tough, grey days, you know why you’re still showing up.

💥 And yes… that post-swim feeling?
We reinforce it every single week — so your body and brain start craving it.

This isn’t about selling you an experience.
It’s about helping you build a relationship with cold water that lasts💙

27/01/2026

Yes, it’s cold. Yes, it’s challenging. And yes—it’s amazing. ❄️🌊
Swimming in nature builds connection, confidence and calm. The shared experience, the support, the post-swim glow—it’s powerful for your mental health.💙
Our mental health deserves care before things get overwhelming. Come and see how blue spaces can lift your mood and put a smile on your face! 😊
👉Discover more at The Blue Space Project - link in comments

21/01/2026

🌳🌊🏊DISCOVER THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF SWIMMING IN NATURE 🌳🌊🏊
Thought about taking on a new challenge for 2026? 🤔Love the idea of swimming in open water but not sure where to start? 🏊 Come & join our Blue Space Project course this spring! (When the weather & water get a bit warmer...!)
Learn how to swim safely in open water, build your confidence with 4 coach led sessions, understand the physical & mental health benefits and make new swim buddies!
For more info head to www.bluespaceproject.org.uk

08/12/2025

If you have ever considered taking on a swim challenge, here is a report from a group of swim buddies at Bray Lake who decided to take on a 10km challenge together! (Often it’s not as hard as you think…!) 💙

Some of our intrepid swimmers ventured to Wales in October to take part in the Hurly Burly 10km swim event

Tap on the link to read their story

https://www.braylake.com/about/hurly-burly-review.html

07/12/2025

If you are swimming in the cold water through the winter, it is useful to have a review and check up on your overall health & your especially heart function. (Especially if you are looking at any sort of cold water competitions or endurance swims). We have had swim Sports medical checks & can highly recommend Dr Paul, Nigel & Nat as a fab medical assessment & review team! 💪🩺❤️

06/12/2025

We had another interview with BBC South today!! 🎤(Link to listen below)
It’s the REALLY cold water season…. 🥶When people start to question the sanity of open water swimmers who keep going through the winter months! It creates curiosity from the media & we often get asked for interviews about WHY we do it! 😂Here are some of the comments from people on our courses….
Listen in from 0.37mins for 10mins!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002mz9w?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

04/12/2025

Beautiful morning at Bray Lake for the BBC visit - fab coverage of the brave winter swimmers!!
Still loving the hat you knitted for me Louise Drosdzol ❤️

04/12/2025

We feel very privileged to be part of a very special training programme via Get Berkshire Active.
At The Blue Space Project, we work to help our participants gain confidence & resilience through open water swimming. The ‘Coaching with Emotional Intelligence’ course lead by the inspiring James Christensen is fine-tuning our skills to help young people lead happier, healthier lives ❤️Thank you 🙏

27/11/2025

Very excited to wake up this morning to see the BBC have now published an article online about their visit to Bray Lake last week!

The project at Bray Lake is one looking at whether cold water swimming helps alleviate depression.