Community Waters CIC’s mission is to address the lack of year-round access to safe, natural water for swimming in Stroud locality, and inspire other communities to do the same.
I am an NHS nurse, passionate about community health and swimming as a way of maintaining and improving well-being. My own journey of being challenged by poor mental health has led me to find fun, effective and sustainable ways to support my mood and physical health.
Swimming outdoors in nature is a natural way of keeping healthy and happy by people of all ages and abilities.
Blue and green community spaces play an important role in connecting people together, in nature, and improving mental health (WHO 2021).
Swimming outside became a fun activity to support my well-being all year round. I could see a need for a more local spot to be created where the community could be encouraged to access safe,clean water amidst the beauty of nature.
Community Waters CIC was born, and now is being supported by a dynamic team who have expertise in:
- Landscape and Water Architecture
- Planning
- Ecology
- Highways/Access /Travel
- Bio-filtration tecnology
- Renewable energy
- Funding
- Safety
- Open Water Swimming
Amy Morris has been gathering a team of friends, professionals and swimmers who have supported the project in kind to date. To move the project on, funding is needed to pay fees for ongoing consultation to ensure that the project is created at a suitable location, designed to suit the community's needs, protects nature, and is sustainable long term.
A farmer in King's Stanely has offered use of their land to create the project. This is fantastic news and we are keen to grasp this opportunity and get moving with the groundwork.
By splitting the project into phases, and raising money in bitesized chunks, it is hoped that the community, funders and local authority will gain confidence in the project's development as it grows and is delivered.
The community will be encouraged to get involved by:
- volunteering
- paid work
- promotion and fundraising
- using facility to swim, dip, play and "be"
Partnerships will be developed with organisations whose goals align with the CIC's:
- GPs can socially prescribe to support mental and physical wellbeing
- Schools can visit - to swim, but also to educate on wetland biodiversity and increase exposure to Vit D (especially during the winter months).
- Health and wellbeing groups can hire the venue as a setting
