A brave swimmer has endured freezing temperatures to swim in wild water wearing just a costume - on every day for the last YEAR.<br /><br />Rachel Whitfield, 41, braved icy water in the middle of winter as part of her quest to raise money for her local lido.<br /><br />Swimming for the 365th day in a row on New Year's Day, and surrounded by fellow supportive wild swimmers, Rachel has raised a whopping £1,600 for Hilsea Lido - and has even carried on swimming daily to raise more cash.<br /><br />The teacher, who lives in Hedge End, Hampshire, said: "The cold water does something magic to you and makes you feel really fantastic.<br /><br />"I've swam for my mental health - especially through lockdown - but my physical health has also benefited.<br /><br />"I've also discovered a wonderful, friendly swimming community who have been really supportive.<br /><br />"I think we see a lot of the negative on the news but this was the real positive side of humanity.<br /><br />"The other thing is the contact with nature. You see things swimming wild that you wouldn't otherwise - kingfishers, otters, seals.<br /><br />"It can be quite magical, as can spending time in nature and seeing the cycle of the seasons."<br /><br />Rachel first went wild swimming at a swimming centre in Hampshire four years ago in a wetsuit but soon discovered a local swimming group.<br /><br />Joining the Hampshire Open Water swimmers, she traded the wetsuit for swimming 'skins' - just a swimming costume - and has never looked back.<br /><br />Rachel, who lives with her husband Matt, 41, and their five children, said: "I first tried wild swimming as I was really poorly with an autoimmune disease called refractory coeliac.<br /><br />"I was signed off work and desperate to get better when a friend mentioned that she was going so I went along. It's very addictive!<br /><br />"I think I managed about 50 metres in my first swim. I started at the end of February which wasn't ideal as that is when the water tends to be the coldest.<br /><br />"I was shaking so much that I couldn't get dressed but I was beaming. The dopamine really kicked in and I was buzzing as I shivered!<br /><br />"It's very different to a pool. No lanes, no funny smell of chlorine, and no lifeguards. You have to learn how to swim safely and how to get dressed really quickly."<br /><br />Thanks to Rachel's determination to swim every day for a year, she has raised an amazing £1,600 for Hilsea Lido and is even carrying on in the hope of raising more.<br /><br />She said: "Hilsea Lido is an art deco lido. I love it because it's inclusive and makes swimming accessible and because it's a real community hub.<br /><br />"It's run by a team of dedicated volunteers who just can't keep up with it crumbling around them. They saved it from demolition and I felt I could just try and help a little to save this magical place.<br /><br />"Some days were harder than others. I swam in 2.3°C where we had to break the ice to get in and the ice actually cut my legs because it was so sharp!<br /><br />"I actually like the cold - once you've been swimming a while, you almost crave it. Cold isn't a problem, but I do get a bit fed up getting rained on and covered in mud.<br /><br />"Swimming on New Year's Day after a year of doing it was a really lovely feeling.<br /><br />"We had about 50 other swimmers come out to do the last swim with me and there was a real sense of community. Plus, there was cake, which is always good!
