New wild swimming book by bestselling authors launched with local swimming groups on Portobello Beach
Over 100 swimmers took a dip at the weekend in the bracing North Sea to mark the launch of The Ripple Effect: A Celebration of Britain’s Brilliant Wild Swimming Communities – and raise money for Mental Health Swims.
The party on Portobello Beach in Edinburgh brought together groups from across Scotland: The Pittenweem Menopausal Mermaids, The Blue Balls, The Polar Bears, The Blue Tits, The Perkies and many others.
The book, by Vicky Allan and Anna Deacon, looks into the Covid-era rise of wild swimming groups and what makes them tick, featuring stories around male mental health support, menopausal solidarity, alcohol recovery, skinny dipping and therapeutic groups.
Funds were also raised for Mental Health Swims, the UK-wide mental health peer support community.
The Ripple Effect follows-up on Taking The Plunge, Anna Deacon and Vicky Allan’s 2019 bestselling coffee table book about the health benefits of wild swimming.
The Ripple Effect: A Celebration of Britain’s Brilliant Wild Swimming Communities, by Anna Deacon & Vicky Allan, is out now, published in hardback by Black & White Publishing at £20.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
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