Open water swimming is to be trialled for the very first time at Carsington Water in Derbyshire.
A session is being organised by owner Severn Trent Water and experienced operator, Pacesetter Events.
The session will be hosted from 6.30pm – 8.30pm on Thursday, July 11.
If successful, Severn Trent will look to introduce open water swimming events in the future.
Donna Marshall, visitor engagement manager at Severn Trent said: “We know that outdoor swimming has grown in popularity over the years and this is something we’ve wanted to introduce for a while, so we’re really pleased to be able to offer this pilot session at Carsington.
“Pacesetter Events are a brilliant company with loads of experience of operating open water swimming events at other similar locations like Rutland Water, so they’re well aware of the potential risks involved in swimming in reservoirs and how to mitigate them.”
Reservoirs contain a number of dangers that could result in even experienced swimmers getting into difficulty. Even on a hot day, the temperature of the water can be extremely cold.
“We have always said that people should not enter the water at any of our reservoirs unless taking part in a supervised and structured activity and this absolutely remains the case,” added Donna.
“Reservoirs can be really dangerous places so it’s important that people only ever enter the water to take part in a managed, organised event. There will be lots of measures in place to ensure that the swim event will be as safe as possible.”
Paul Cowling from Pacesetter Events, said: “We’re really pleased to be able to support Severn Trent in trialling open water swimming at Carsington Water.
“Swimming has very different risks to other water-based sports like paddleboarding or canoeing. To make sure everyone enjoys the session safely, swimmers will be required to use swim floats and wear swimming hats for every session, along with wetsuits if the temperature is below 16 degrees, and we’ll have trained teams and safety boats on hand to provide support.”
Each session is charged £32 with all money going towards the operation of future sessions.
For more information or to register to take part in the session, visit www.pacesetterevents.com/carsington.
