Headline Henley swim festival 2024

MORE than 2,000 swimmers — and a dog — took part in this year’s Henley Swim Festival.

It was the 20th anniversary of the event, which was held at Temple Island Meadows.

It involved more than six swim events, including a junior half mile swim, Zoggs half mile, clubs half mile, a four-mile challenge, a 200m race for swimmers aged over eight and a 200m splash event for children aged eight to 12.

The festival was started in 2004 by former rowers Tom Kean and Jeremy Laming who begun a tradition of swimming the Henley Royal Regatta course, which became the Henley Classic.

It was originally designed for experienced swimmers but has since been extended to anyone age over eight.

Mr Kean said: “Twenty years ago, there were two of us and a bloke who took a picture. Word of mouth spread and year on year it grew.

“In the early years we found the early morning Henley Classic sold out very quickly and we thought, ‘That’s appealing to tough people that get up at 2am in the morning.

“But there was an equal number of people who don’t like to do that but do want to swim in the river, so we thought let’s widen the bracket and appeal to family and friends and people who want to come along and support.

“They were mostly rowers in the first couple of years. Now our biggest demographic is females. It is all about inclusivity.”

Mr Kean said the number of participants was smaller this year due to concerns about the water quality and sewage spills.

He said: “Our numbers are significantly down because of the fear of pollution, which is a shame.

“There’s a juxtaposition where we’ve got something to gain by encouraging people to swim but at the same time we’ve got to be very careful and tell them the risks.

“The river is a natural environment but has run-off so it’s never going to be 100 per cent clean but those are the risks that people have got to balance with the benefit of swimming.”

Bryan Avery, 56, took part in the one-mile swim with his seven-year-old black Labrador Poppy, who was in a buoyancy aid, for the fifth year running.

He said: “I do it with her because I’m an open water swimmer and I swam the Channel 13 years ago.

“We started by swimming 200m, then 400m and went further and further until she started doing 1km and 2km swims.

“On coming to Henley five years ago, we approached the organisers and said, ‘Can Poppy swim?’ They weren’t sure until they saw her swim. Since then, they have let her swim every year.

“She trains once a week. She’ll swim all year round but I only let her go into water above 10 degrees.

“She normally swims in lakes and rivers. When we go in the sea she is confused when she tries to drink the sea water. When she’s in lakes and rivers, she drinks as she goes along.”

Mr Avery was promoting the SwimTayka charity, which provides free swimming lessons and teaches underprivileged children about clean water stewardship.

He said: “Poppy’s so desperate to come with me. She gets so excited at the start line. She will swim past the other people because she tends to swim faster than most swimmers.” Poppy’s name was announced on the loudspeaker system when they reached the main auditorium, which was met with applause from the crowd.

Mr Avery, from Newbury, said: “She gets a bit confused when people start shouting ‘Go on Poppy, go on’.”

Naomi Constable, 42, from Didcot, took part in the one-mile swim.

She said: “I love the atmosphere and the chance to talk to the people with the same interest.

“There’s something about the swimming community — it’s a fabulous group of people.

“My daughter, Ffion, tried her first river swim and was thrilled to go in the lido with me.”

There was a synchronised swimming performance by Almost Synchro, a group of 14 swimmers from Bristol, who completed a routine of handstands, lifts and a star formation to For Once in My Life by Stevie Wonder.

They then swam to Somewhere Beyond the Sea by Bobby Darin and came together in a “20” formation to mark the festival’s anniversary. Rock Choir also performed.

The festival village had more than 25 stalls.

New for this year was a wellbeing area with a sauna and ice bath by the Nomadic Sauna and breathing work and cold-water therapy workshops run by Breatheolution.

For more information, visit https://henleyswim.com