A group of cold water enthusiasts have raised over £5000 for CancerCare from the sales of their charity calendar. The Lakeland Wild Swimmers, who published a calendar in 2024, recently celebrated the incredible final total with a chilly December shoot in Windermere.

Staveley-based Claire Walker, founder of the Lakeland Wild Swimmers, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023. After Claire’s diagnosis, the group decided to create a calendar featuring them dipping in some of their favourite open water swimming spots and donate the proceeds to CancerCare.

Alongside heading up the Lakeland Wild Swimmers, Claire also runs Mental Health Swims meet ups in Windermere. She set up Lakes Swimming Ladies in 2019 before changing the name to Lakeland Wild Swimmers to accommodate the growing number of male group members. They meet regularly for swims in lakes and rivers across Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Lancashire.

The Lakeland Wild Swimmers calendar was shot by local photographers Louise Thompson and James Kirby.