Outdoor Swimming Society

The Outdoor Swimming Society (OSS) was founded in 2006 by Kate Rew, author of Wild Swim^[1].

As a 4,000 member-strong organisation, it is the biggest umbrella representation of wild swimmers in the UK.

The OSS is the main resource on wild swimming locations and wild swimming safety in the country. It acts as an open-to-all central resource for wild swimmers, especially those based in the UK, and aims to encourage people to rediscover the joys of swimming in open, wild water - rivers, lakes, lochs, tarns, ponds, seas.

The OSS is engaged in campaigning to keep outdoor lidos and pools open, and to keep seas and rivers clean and swimmable.

Patrons

The OSS' patrons are Olympic gold medallist Cassie Patten and the author Robert Macfarlane.

Manifesto

The Outdoor Swimming Society believes that it's time British swimmers had more fun. In the early 1900s there were river swimming clubs and lidos all over the country, but outdoor swimming died out as indoor pools came in. It supports all those keeping lidos open and lakes and rivers clean and undertakes campaigning work with this.

Swim map

The OSS website hosts one of the most comprehensive databases of wild swims in the UK^[2], with locations and descriptions of safe wild swimming locations.

Safety

In 2009, the OSS announced that it was founding a Wild Swimmers' Code, similar in spirit to The Country Code, to encourage safe swimming in wild water.

Events

Outdoor Swimming Society members arrange regular meet-ups around the country, as well as a Midsummer Party and December Dip - both of which are held at Parliament Hill Lido, London. Masterclasses with swim coaches are also held round the country.

Member events are generally organised through the OSS Facebook Group (see external links below). Here members frequently arrange events all over the country.

History

In 2006/7 the OSS ran the Breaststrokes charity swims in Windermere and Serpentine, which raised over £150,000 for Cancer Research.

Profiles

Kate Rew: Founder

Kate is a writer and freelance journalist and founded The Outdoor Swimming Society in 2006. She grew up swimming in a river in Devon, and continues to swim all over the country. Her book Wild Swim ^[1] contains 300 great outdoor swims around Britain.

Read Kate's Best of Times, Worst of Times, in The Times^[3] or listen to Wilderness journeys on BBC Radio 4^[4].

Kate has also featured in TV and media documentaries, including an episode of the popular BBC programme 'Coast' ^[5]

External links

At the time of its release, Wild Swim received many favourable reviews in the national press (links taken from Guardian website)

• A bigger splash - New Statesman, June 26th 2008
• Book review - Travel Mail, July 9th 2008

Kate's Publications

• Best of Times, Worst of Times - The Sunday Times, 28th September 2008
• Wilderness journeys, BBC Radio 4
• Come on in, the water's lovely - The Guardian, May 24th 2008
• Call of the Wild - Coast magazine, July 16th 2008
• Wet and Wild - Guardian Travel, June 22nd 2008

OSS links

• OSS website
• OSS Wild Swimming Map

Useful information on outdoor swimming

• Top 50 places to swim outdoors - Daily Telegraph, 9th August 2008
• This Is London Follow The Rules To Enjoy Wild Swimming
• [1] Broomhill Pool, Ipswich

Other Links

• Kate's page, Conville and Walsh literary agents

Sources

Wild Swim^[1] ISBN 978-0852650936

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Rew, K. (2008) Wild Swim: River, Lake, Lido and Sea: The Best Places to Swim Outdoors in Britain. Guardian Books, London
2. ^ The Outdoor Swimming Society, The OSS Wild Swim Map, URL: http://www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com/index.php?p=swimming_map [accessed 23rd July 2009]
3. ^ Rew, K. (2008) Best of Times, Worst of Times: Kate Rew, outdoor swimmer. The Sunday Times 28 September 2008.
4. ^ BBC Radio 4 (2009) Wilderness. 20 April 2009
5. ^ Coast, Series 4. From Whistable to the Isle of Wight. URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00ls7ld/Coast_Series_4_Whitstable_to_Isle_of_Wight/