No lake or river is too remote. No water is too icy. It looks like wild swimming might be here to stay after enjoying a boom in popularity over the last year or two. Its main proponents tout benefits from reduced anxiety to improved cardiovascular health, but for many it's just a good excuse to get outdoors and enjoy the inarguably revitalising properties of an icy dip.
One group that seems to completely embody the spirit behind the sport’s surge in interest is SOuP (Sheffield Outdoor Plungers). Started by Owen Hayman a few years ago as a means to make friends after moving to Sheffield from Swansee, the SOuP Facebook group now boasts over 12,000 members who regularly meet up, swap the best swimming spots, and have a post-swim chat over cake and a well-earned mug of hot tea.
In this short film, we catch up with Owen and some of the members of SOuP to find out about the group and why it’s so important to them.
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