OS Brecks

Bathing in the Brecks: Outdoor Swimming past, present & future, is outlined in this separate section of the website. We are discovering the history and promoting safe and environmentally friendly outdoor swimming in Breckland in two projects, Tales from the River and Healing Waters, part of The Brecks Fen Edge & Rivers Landscape Partnership Scheme (BFER). These began in 2020, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

river with chalk beach, clouds
River Little Ouse at Hockwold
Get Involved, Dates

Volunteers are crucial to both projects. See a presentation celebrating the roles volunteers take – and how much fun it can be. Contact me if you’d like to get involved.

Healing Waters project activities & resources:

Dates for events in the Healing Waters project are on the page Outdoor swimming practical project dates, together with reports on previous events.

Information:  Q&A: key info on swimming safely; download the illustrated Q&A ; More detailed with index: What you might want to know if you have just started swimming outdoors

See display panels about the HW project.

Details on the river survey and mapping strand of the project.

Tales from the River project events

For the latest on the Tales from the River project dates, and Project Updates see Swim history project plans.

See display panels about the TR project.

We are interested to hear if you have any Outdoor Swimming stories, memories, photos, maps or info to share – please contact me if so.

See how you can get updates or get involved

Young people – how you can get involved in Healing Waters

Key Documents

Tales from the River will involve young people and adults in gathering and celebrating stories and folklore about outdoor swimming and other recreational use of the water in the Brecks rivers and other waters in the past and present.

Read about the Tales from the River project in more detail.

Read more about how youth groups can get involved in the Tales from the River project in the brief for organisers

See a summary of the Tales from the River project on the BFER website projects page

Healing Waters will involve people in outdoor swimming with training to enjoy the waters safely and with care for the environment, and it will map and consider establishing and publicising suitable places for swimming or for other recreational uses of the rivers.

Read about the Healing Waters project in more detail

and Download a talk on the project 11 March 2020 (Word.doc, 2 pages).

I gave a presentation about both the Healing Waters and Tales from the River project and the key part played by volunteers to a BFER celebration event, December 2022.

See a summary of the Healing Waters project on the BFER website projects page

These 2 linked projects are part of The Brecks Fen Edge & Rivers Landscape Partnership Scheme, which has now succeeded in the bid for funding and will be supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Read about the whole BFER project in detail – download the full report and a map of the area.

See summaries for all of the BFER projects on their website page.

Reports

Tales from the River

See reports of previous events on the Project Updates section of the Swim history project plans and previous events page on this website.

Healing Waters

See reports of swim events on the Previous events reports and updates section of the Outdoor swimming practical project dates and previous events page on this website.

One more event is planned for 8 Sept 2024, and anyone interested can join our mailing list – Contact me and say you would like updates, or to hear about future events sign up for BFER updates and newsletter here.

See Previous events reports and updates.

Landowners and other participants marked places on the Brecks map where they owned or managed land and where they have swum, at a Landowner workshop 11 March 2020 at the start of the Healing Waters project – read about the workshop.

Download a report of the day (Word.doc 4 pages), which also includes more information on workshop organisers and speakers, and a list of resources and guidance.

See display panels about the projects and a map with a snapshot of where people go for recreation, from The Brecks Fen Edge & Rivers Landscape Partnership Scheme Conference 13 March 2019.

Over spring and summer 2020 for the Swims section of my website I put together some resources for swimmers, those interested in the outdoors, and for landowners. These included activities, reading, audiovisual, links when staying at home to do with swimming https://www.imogensriverswims.co.uk/blog/online-resources-swim-advice-exercise-health/ , culture, heritage and nature, and gave regular updates on swimming and outdoor exercise under Covid 19 for swimmers and landowners. In addition I wrote this post on Drowning Prevention and this page on Landowner liability and swimmers. (All of these are not directly part of the projects, but could be of interest.)

Other info

There is also a Facebook page: Bathing in the Brecks: Outdoor Swimming past, present & future and Twitter https://twitter.com/OSBrecks, Instagram account, www.instagram.com/osbrecks, and YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbLePqrdMTGIIcq1sjOXznQ. Socal media tag: @OSBrecks.

There is a Facebook group, Outdoor Swimming in Breckland (not part of the projects). (Members of the group swam in and explored many swim spots in the area over a weekend in early October 2019. They liaise with local landowners and help with litterpicking and keeping an eye on swim places.)

@TheBrecksLP is the  Brecks Fen Edge & Rivers Landscape Partnership Scheme social media tag.

Contact me if you would like to get updates, to get involved, or have any comments or questions, or contact the The Brecks Fen Edge & Rivers Landscape Partnership Scheme for questions on the wider set of projects.

You might find many of the other BFER projects of interest; they cover a wide range of issues across the area, including conservation, heritage, and much more. You can sign up for BFER updates and newsletter.

map of Brecks area
Brecks area and project area

You can also see the area map on The Brecks Fen Edge & Rivers Landscape Partnership Scheme website

logos NHLF and BFER
http://www.brecks.org/BFER/; National Lottery Heritage Fund https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/

 

swims and swim places, and related issues