Support Keepers Pond Team Swim the English Channel

My name is Siân Williams. I am 53 and for the past 5 years I have been a member of The Bluetits Chill Swimmers at Keepers Pond, Blaenavon.

I absolutely adore outdoor swimming and particularly cold water swimming. I just love swimming in general. Despite that love, I have been negatively body conscious my whole life and despite this sometimes crippling insecurity, I do try to fight against it. It can be exhausting and overwhelming trying not to hide away but my past experiences tell me to grab life, say Yes! and have fun.

So being a cold water, skins swimmer for 5 years, 5 winters has been my joy. It has definitely given me much more confidence not only in the water but outside too. Confidence to meet new people, in my ability as a swimmer and also confidence and contentment in my day to day life.

With age sometimes wisdom comes. With cold water swimming comes a sense of freedom from anxieties, a sense of place within nature and an overwhelming sense of belonging. It is just pure joy to me and this has led to me to push my boundaries and lead me to challenge my own thoughts about who I am and what I can achieve.

I experienced loss at quite a young age and I have carried the trauma of losing my mother, when just 14, throughout my entire life. I still struggle with the repercussions of this today.

I want to shout out loud how the cold water community has helped me! I want to demonstrate, that regardless of my battle with fear and anxiety, cold water swimming is a marvellous tool to help calm and offer a reprieve from these feelings.

I can’t believe I have been offered the chance to swim the Channel with such awe-inspriring women (Sam, Bow, Carol, Janet and Kerry) and with the support of The Bluetits Chill Swimmers, and their director coach Makala Jones who is facilitating this incredible opportunity. I have to try, right? Yes!

The funds we raise will be used to pay for everything needed to get 6 novice swimmers to France. This will include the boat, crew, accommodation during the event swim window of 28/09/27 to 5/10/27. Also, the boat and crew for our qualifying swim, swim coaching and training to ensure good technique for sea swim plus entry and exiting the water onto the boat each time efficiently so we give ourselves the best chance when going against tides and swells.

The minimum we must raise is £2200 each, as a team £13,200. We are aiming high though as every penny above this will go to The Bluetits Chill Swimmers. TBTCS are a Community Interest Company, and have done incredible things for the cold water community since its inception in 2014 at St David’s Pembrokeshire. Siân Richardson (voted top 12 outstanding women in sport at the BBC Woman’s Hour Power list 2023) is a visionary leader taking the community from a few friends to over 80,000 members and growing. Makala Jones, a solo English Channel swimmer 2023, Ironman amongst other achievements, Head of Water Safety and just an all round amazing coach and inspirational human being. To support such an enterprise is a privilege and I can only wish that all of you who know me, my family, friends and colleagues will come along for the ride and support me and the Bluetit6 team AND definitely come along for a dip or swim. You are very welcome, anytime. Thank you so much XOX