ENVIRONMENT
A swim celebrating community, confidence and collective care for our oceans; the sisters swimming for orcas and the importance of river margins: Jo Tinsley reports on the things that matter to us as swimmers
THE BIG SWIM 2026
“The swim is a visible moment – women walking into the sea together. The ripple effect is what happens afterwards,” says Nicky Chisholm (aka PinkNicky), organiser of The Big Swim 2026.
Taking place on 14 March 2026, The Big Swim is an accessible mass-participation event where more than 1,000 women will swim simultaneously in Brighton and Poole. The event, hosted in partnership with Sea Lanes Brighton and Land & Wave, Poole, celebrates International Women’s Day while raising vital funds for Surfers Against Sewage to combat ocean pollution.
The event has grown over the past four years, from 250 swimmers in 2023 to more than 1,000 last year. As The Big Swim has grown, so has the ambition behind it. “We began by asking a simple question: what if every woman who participates commits to taking one action to support or elevate women and girls in her community?” Nicky says. “One action might feel small, but 1,000 actions create momentum.” Pledges this year have included: volunteering with the Brownies, supporting a local refugee centre and working to eliminate period poverty.