Making Waves with Mental Health Swims
A Chat with Rachel Ashe from Mental Health Swims
We caught up with Rachel Ashe, the amazing founder of our partner Mental Health Swims (MHS) - an award-winning, mental health peer support community who host free, safe and inclusive swim meet ups nationwide. What began as Rachel’s way to boost her own mental health has grown into 100+ outdoor swims across the UK, and is now expanding indoors to leisure centres too.
Here’s what Rachel had to say - from why it all started, what keeps her hopeful, and how you can dive in (literally or figuratively) to get involved..
Let’s start at the beginning. What inspired you to create Mental Health Swims?
I live with a mental illness myself and in 2018, I was really unwell. I wasn't managing to go to work or anything. In my mission to re-enter the world, I was searching for community - but a lot of the communities I came across were support groups. They were normally indoors, where you’d sit on a chair in a circle - and that just felt really scary to me and not the kind of space that felt right. It felt like pressure.
I’ve always found it easier to talk while doing something else. I adopted a dog, which really helped, and I started going on lots of walks, but I also tried swimming outdoors.
Of all the things I did to support my mental health, that was the one that made a massive difference. It had this hugely powerful effect on the way that I felt in my mind. And that was the beginning.
What makes Mental Health Swims different from other swim groups?
I wanted to create that space for other people - the kind of community I was looking for. A place where we could get together, do something active, something outdoors. A space where we could connect with nature, with our community and with ourselves. And I brought with me that lived experience and understanding of just how hard it can be to come along and join a group. What makes us unique at Mental Health Swims is our approach to the whole user journey - making it as easy as possible for people who find it difficult to join.
So, who do you support?
First of all, Mental Health Swims supports adults. Some of the people we support might have a diagnosis of a mental illness, but others simply know within themselves that mental health is something they struggle with. We particularly want to reach those who feel isolated.
It's a really wonderful thing to feel seen, heard and understood. That kind of connection can have a transformational effect on your life. There's a whole spectrum of mental health experiences, and we welcome people from all sorts of backgrounds and different walks of life.
What’s happening at MHS right now that makes you feel excited or hopeful?
So many things! One of the big ones is our Swim Together indoor programme. We piloted it in 2023, and it was really successful, so we’re now rolling it out more widely. We’ve got a few swims running in England, one in Wales, and another starting soon in Scotland - so we ‘re really expanding our indoor pool offer. It’s a whole new landscape for us, working with leisure centres and healthcare providers, which is challenging but also really exciting.
We’ve also just welcomed a new board member, and we’re in the process of hiring a fundraiser. That might not sound exciting to everyone - but for us, it’s huge. It means we can grow, do more, and better support our volunteers and swimmers.
Has there been a recent moment or story that’s really stuck with you?
Yes - we held an event in Parliament this year during Mental Health Awareness week. Lots of people attended, including other mental health charities we work with, MPs, some of our amazing swimmers and volunteers. As part of the event, we screened a short version of a really beautiful film we’ve been working on. We’re hoping to launch the full version later this year.
I also visited our swim at West Reservoir in London. It was one of those magical, inspiring, brilliant days - just really special. I had the best time spending it with some of our hosts and our swimmers and the people who Mental Health Swims benefits.
One of our amazing swimmers in Hackney shared with me that she’d never felt like that space was for her. She said it seemed very middle class, that everyone would be in wetsuits and it just wouldn’t be a welcoming space. But when she saw the Mental Health Swims advert, she decided to give it a go. And now? It’s become a space she loves - a space where she connects with others in the community and gets to enjoy a swim.
It’s stories like that which just make me feel like we’re doing the right thing. And that’s just one of many.
What’s the best way for people to get involved or support you?
There are so many ways to get involved! You could become a swim host and host a group in your area, or maybe you have an amazing skill that could support the Mental Health Swims team. If you think, actually, I could volunteer some of my time, then please get in touch - we’d love to hear from you.
You can also just come along to a swim, meet other people, and become part of our community.
Or maybe you have pots of money and want to support us - you’re very welcome to! We’re always open to donations.
Looking ahead — what’s your big dream for the next year?
We’d love to host an in-person gathering for all our swim hosts - bringing everyone together would be really special. We’re also planning to screen our new film, which would be such a lovely way to celebrate and grow our community.
There are also some behind-the-scenes goals, like securing more core funding. And of course, we want to keep growing our Swim Together project and continue nurturing our outdoor swims - just doing more of what we do so well.
If you could say one thing to everyone reading this, what would it be?
If there’s something in the world you’re searching for and you can’t find it - maybe you’re the person to create it.
I didn’t study business or plan to start a social enterprise. I just had an idea and some lived experience. And sometimes, that’s enough. We need more people using their lived experience to make meaningful change in the world.
Find a swim, learn more, or get in touch here: https://www.mentalhealthswims.co.uk/
A big thank you to Rachel!
