A couple of weekends ago, I found myself standing on the banks of the River Avon, Bantham beach looking out over Bigbury and Burgh Island, in a hi-viz vest, cheering people into cold water just after the crack of dawn. The next morning, I was in that same river, halfway through a 2-hour swim wondering why I thought this was a good idea.
This was the Bantham Swoosh followed by the Boomerang – two beautiful, bonkers open water swims set in Devon’s most tidal stretch of river. I’d signed up for the Boomerang months ago. Volunteering at the Swoosh? That was a last-minute decision, and one of the best I’ve made in a while.
The Swoosh has a brilliant atmosphere: all early-morning excitement, nervous laughter, and last-minute faffing with wetsuits and goggles. But what really got me wasn’t the buzz – it was the people.
I was detailed to support swimmers requiring special assistance at the start and finish of the Swoosh. There were three swimmers on crutches. Another had a prosthetic leg. Someone else adjusted their wetsuit over a stoma bag like it was just another bit of kit. A visually impaired man just needed to be pointed in the right direction to enter the water. No drama, no fuss — just determination and good humour. Honestly, it was hard not to feel a bit in awe.
It’s funny how volunteering often ends up giving you the boost. I thought I was there to help others carry crutches, clap loudly, look useful – but they helped me. Watching those swimmers head down to the water with absolute focus (and in some cases, physical challenges I can barely imagine), I felt my own excuses shrinking.
So, by the time the Boomerang started – a swim with the tide upriver and back again – I felt unusually calm. Or at least, I did until about halfway through, when my shoulders started complaining and I began negotiating with myself about just how much effort I really needed to be putting in.
That’s when the morning’s swimmers came back to me. Not in a cheesy “be inspired” way, but more like: “Well, if they cracked on with it, I probably can too.” So, I did. Arms aching, tide turning, jellyfish dodged, I made it back to Bantham beach, saltier but smiling.
Volunteering gave me something I didn’t realise I needed: a reminder that showing up is powerful, that doing things with and for other people matters, and that there’s always someone out there quietly doing something harder than you and doing it with a grin.
Big thanks to everyone who swam, volunteered, cheered, or herded half-dressed swimmers into the right car park. I’ll be back. Maybe even in a hi-viz again. And the best bit….the weekend raised over £240k for Level Water: a brilliant charity that provides swimming lessons for disabled children.
Annabel Dunstan, Founder & CEO, Question & Retain