Employees from Affinity Water swapped the office for open water on Wednesday, 10th September, taking part in a wild swim event at Heron Lake in Staines to celebrate inclusion and raise awareness of the health and wellbeing benefits of outdoor swimming.
The event was delivered in partnership with Access Adventures, a local charity providing life-changing adaptive sports such as waterskiing, wakeboarding and kayaking for people with disabilities.
Taking place ahead of National Inclusion Week (15th–21st September), the initiative brought together Affinity Water’s employee networks and gave staff the chance to enjoy open water swimming in a safe and supportive environment, while also volunteering their time to help with maintenance work on site. Colleagues rolled up their sleeves for litter picking, weeding, tidying and cleaning the BBQ/café area, and clearing out and cleaning storage lockers before or after their swims.
Sharing her thoughts on the event, Clare Williams, Operations Manager at Access Adventures, said:
“We loved welcoming the Affinity Water team to Heron Lake and giving them a taste of the work we do. Their support is invaluable in helping people with disabilities experience the physical and mental health benefits of adaptive watersports. We hope this event is just the beginning of many more to come, building an even stronger partnership between Access Adventures and Affinity Water.”
The idea for the event came from Emma Warren, Emergency Planning, Business Continuity and Alternative Water Lead at Affinity Water, who had previously shared her own positive experiences of open water swimming and inspired colleagues to give it a try.
Reflecting on the day, Emma said:
“This swim was about so much more than taking a dip - it was inclusion in action. Seeing the Women’s Network, Men’s Network, ONE Network, the Disability and Neurodiversity Network and the Proud Network all come together to create an event open to everyone really showed the best of our community and our commitment to making sure all colleagues feel they belong, whatever their background or ability.”
Safety was central to the day, with Affinity Water’s Health & Safety team giving demonstrations based on the RNLI’s ‘Float to Live’ campaign. Participants also had the option to try paddle sports with Access Adventures, with donations supporting the charity’s work.
Affinity Water hopes this pilot will be the first of many open swim events, strengthening its partnership with Access Adventures while encouraging colleagues of all abilities to come together, try something new, and celebrate inclusion.