Dorset outdoor adventure company, Land and Wave, are holding their first International Women’s Day swimming event on March 8th.
Land and Wave operate across the Dorset area aiming to introduce people to the outdoors.
A director of the company, Rosie Tanner, has spent the last three years campaigning for more women to work in the outdoors, and was part of an episode of the ‘Tough Girl Challenges’ podcast to promote this.
Land and Wave wanted to give away instructor courses to female listeners of the podcast, and, as a result Nicky Chisholm, who has her own adventure blog called Pink Nicky, came to one of their courses and spoke about a swim event she organises in Brighton.
Rosie went to the swim event last year on International Women’s Day, where up to 250 people took part, she said: “It was amazing, as soon as it was over we (her and Nicky) had a chat, and I was like we could work together. So that is when we decided to do the big swim in Sandbanks and Brighton at the same time.”
The Big Swim is aiming to get 1,000 women across both locations and in the sea at the same time. Land and Wave already have 500 women signed up for the swim, with another 100 on the waiting list.
The event is not only promoting equality for women in health, education, and sport, but is fundraising for Surfers Against Sewage. Rosie said: “The charity is quite close to our hearts, in terms of water quality and safe bathing because the sea is our office, so we want it to be as welcoming and clean as possible.”
The Big Swim will take place on Sandbanks beach and Brighton beach on March 8th.