Blesma is crowned King of the Thames

Almost 300 swimmers headed to Hampton Court at the end of June to take the plunge in the inaugural King of the Thames river swim – with Blesma as the charity partner. The 3km open water non-competitive swim along a picturesque stretch of the River Thames raised more than £4,500 for the Association and showcased the Thames’ improved water quality and the growing popularity of open water swimming.

Blesma Member Gary Castle (main picture, opposite page), a former Warrant Officer in the Royal Green Jackets, joined several hundred others who enjoyed the summer sun as they swam a gentle curve of the Thames from Hampton Court Palace to Raven’s Ait at Kingston on Saturday 26 June.

“It was a great day and was very well organised,” said Gary, 67, from Aylesford, Kent, who had his right leg amputated above the knee following an injury at the end of his 23-year military career.

“The water temperature was very pleasant – I normally swim in Dover Harbour, where it is much colder! I do a lot of open water swimming and would really recommend the King of the Thames event. There were changing facilities, and I was able to go to the water’s edge and leave my prosthetic with organisers who made sure we all had our gear when we reached the finish line.”

The event, which will be held annually, was devised by SwimQuest, which runs swimming tours and holidays around the world and was founded, in part, to increase open water swimming opportunities.

“It was a fantastic success, and we had good weather and very clean water in the Thames, which was important,” said John Coningham-Rolls, who founded SwimQuest with Alice Todd in 2012. “The logistics and the weather were perfect, and we had great support from the Sea Scouts, the Maritime Volunteer Service, local river workers and the safety team.

“We have had some fantastic feedback from participants and from supporters, and it was great to have Blesma as our charity.”

MAKING WAVES IN THE THAMES

The swimmers went off in two waves – at 9am and 1pm – and swam along the Barge Walk side of the Thames, which was partially closed to its normal traffic, with marker buoys positioned every 100 metres to ensure maximum safety.

With a picturesque footpath running alongside the entire length of the course, the swim offered fantastic opportunities for friends and family to cheer swimmers on all the way along the route.

“I was originally contacted by Blesma with a request for us to run an activity for Members,” said John, “and we finally did that last year in Jersey, before running the event again this August. We feel a great synergy with Blesma, and the Members got a lot from the Jersey experience. There was a lot of banter, so it was great fun as well as being a fantastic swimming activity.

“The King of the Thames swim was a real success, and we have set 26 June as the date for next year’s event – we’d love to see even more Blesma Members there next year! You do need to train for it, but we can certainly help with that.”

THE HEADLINE SPONSOR

Anna Scalera, Head of Fundraising at Blesma, was instrumental in fostering the relationship with SwimQuest, which saw the Association take pride of place as the event’s headline sponsor.

“It was a very hot day, and SwimQuest did an amazing job with the logistics and organisation. It was well planned and curated, and every swimmer we spoke to said they had a really good time and were full of praise for the organisers, who put in a huge effort to make sure everything ran smoothly,” said Anna.

“It was great of them to make Blesma the event’s official charity. Some of the entrants had military connections and knew about us, while others were keen to support us once they found out more about our work.

“Open water swimming is a growing sport, and to be able to swim in the Thames was a fantastic opportunity, which is why the event was sold out.”

The swim didn’t end at the riverbank. Instead, Raven’s Ait, a private island just upstream from Kingston, was transformed into a finish-line celebration complete with live music, a picnic and a warm, welcoming atmosphere as swimmers gathered together for prize-giving and to share stories from the water.

Gary, who was injured while on a mine clearing operation in Bosnia, was just as enthusiastic as Anna.

“I would definitely do it again,” he said. “I was an ultra-distance runner in the Army, and I’ve always been a swimmer. Open water swimming is good for you physically and great for your mental health and wellbeing. There are plenty of places where you can get started – but you might need a wetsuit as temperatures are rarely as hot as they were that day!”

Fancy giving open water swimming a go? Look out for the introductory course on next year’s Activities Programme.