Dorset Welcomes Over 100 Swimmers to Inaugural Ice Swimming Challenge

The SLICE event happened at the Shaftesbury Lido. It took place over the weekend. People traveled from Dorset, Stoke, and Derby to compete. Harriet Green and Elizabeth Mills organized it. Both are experienced ice mile swimmers.

Ice swimming means swimming in very cold water. The water must be 5 degrees Celsius or below. The lido’s pool was 5.4 degrees Celsius. The air temperature was four degrees. Wind chill made it feel like negative one degree.

Some people tried ice swimming for the first time. Others aimed for their longest cold swims. Races included a bobble hat race, a relay with a cake float, and a long endurance race. A 1km team relay also occurred.

Oly Rush gave prizes to the winners. He founded Project Planet Earth and is also an endurance swimmer. Liz Pudney won the SLICE Award. She performed well in many races and came from Newbury.

The event raised almost £3,000 for the lido. They will use the money for renovations. It will help replace the pool liner and improve the filtration system. Harriet and Elizabeth plan next year’s event. They encourage cold water swimming, as it’s good for health.