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Katie taking a swim, joyfully!

Wild Wood Swim

Take on a 1km swim in a relaxed and supportive environment while raising money for local hospice care.

Event details

Registration has now closed for 2022. Thank you for everyone who’s signed up – we can’t wait to see you all on the big day!

Make a splash for local hospice care this August. Take on your first ever 1km swim at Weir Wood Reservoir near East Grinstead. Join your fellow swimmers for a day of natural beauty, camaraderie and fun in the water.

From front crawl to doggy paddle – any style welcome! All you’ll need is to be able to swim two laps of 500 metres! And if you don’t have a wetsuit – it’s no problem, you can hire one on the day.

Location: Weir Wood Reservoir, Forest Row RH18 5HT
When: Monday 29th August 2022

Information for the big day

What you'll get

- Full fundraising support throughout
- Exclusive training guides, blogs and swimmers Facebook group
- Full safety support on the day
- St Barnabas House t-shirt
- Exclusive commemorative swimming hat
- A medal as a record of your achievement
- Free flapjacks, hot drinks and snacks

Essential information:

- Our experienced water safety crew will be supporting swimmers as you go, plus we'll have first aid service available on dry land
- You'll need a wetsuit to take part - for only £25 you can hire one with our partner company Tri
- Changing facilities, snacks and hot drinks are available all day
- All friends and family are welcome to come and cheer you on

Frequently asked questions
  • To swim 1km:  30 – 90 minutes depending on your own swimming speed, there’s no pressure to go any faster than you are comfortable with.
  • To train for your 1km swim: We’re here to support you every stroke of the way! To train for the swim, you’ll need to be comfortable swimming at least 500 meters in a swimming pool – non stop. (This is because each lap of the reservoir is 500 metres.) It’s also a good idea to get as much experience in the open water as possible in the lead up to the event!

We’re working with a fantastic company Tri wetsuit hire, where you can book a wetsuit for the event day to pick up when you arrive, or alternatively rent a wetsuit from them for the whole season to cover your training time too!

TOP TIP: We recommend using a wetsuit that’s designed for open water swimming, and not a surf wetsuit.

Registration cost: £45

Minimum sponsorship: £175

By raising £175 your donation is enough to give a patient a whole night of care at home, meaning they’re comfortable and cared for and their family is able to get a full night’s sleep. We’re here to help you reach your sponsorship goal and support you.

 

Our Wild Wood Swim FAQs should cover everything you need, or you can get in touch and ask us if you have another question.

Up your sponsorship with our fundraising top tips:

  • Ask friends and family to donate to you instead of buying a birthday present.
  • Swimming themed EVERYTHING: Challenge your friends to a chilly dip in the sea, anyone who can’t hack the cold has to donate! Or hold a swimming themed quiz, everyone has to donate to enter, or what about an underwater themed bake sale – where all the cupcakes are shaped as sea creatures!
  • Offer out your skills: If you’re a dab hand at gardening, sewing, painting or other tasks, then you could offer your services to friends and family for a small fee that you can put towards your fundraising total.
  • Maybe add your Just Giving link to your email signature at your work place – you could even hold a bake sale at work? Any money you raise going towards your target.
  • Don’t forget you can claim Gift Aid on the amount you fundraise, this is a special scheme where we can claim money back from HMRC, and no expense to you (please check you’re eligible for Gift Aid before you sign up to it).