There are some places that immediately make you stop and take everything in.
Pool Bridge Farm, near York, is one of them.
Set among trees, lakes and water lilies, it is a place designed around swimming, rest and connection with nature. It is also a place where the staff and volunteers are already thinking seriously about inclusion: not only for visitors, but within the organisation itself.
I was delighted to be invited to Pool Bridge Farm to explore how the venue might further support blind and partially sighted swimmers.
From conversation to connection
The visit began with a conversation.
Dr Charlotte Haines Lyon, based at the University of York and also a volunteer at Pool Bridge Farm, had seen a television interview about my doctoral research into disability and access to blue spaces. She contacted me, introduced me to the team and helped begin a discussion about what inclusive wild swimming could look like in practice.
That connection led to a two-day visit, supported by the University of Brighton’s Centre for Environment and Society Postgraduate Support Fund.
On arrival, I met venue manager Emma Warmington-Boanas and Sarah, a volunteer who is helping the team think through future access. They gave me a generous tour of the lakes, paths, changing areas, toilets and water-entry points, while explaining the work already taking place and the plans being developed.
What struck me most was the culture of the organisation.
Pool Bridge Farm is not approaching accessibility as a box-ticking exercise. The staff and volunteers already demonstrate flexibility, warmth and a genuine willingness to support both guests and colleagues. The visit was therefore not about arriving with a list of faults. It was about building on an existing culture of care.
Access begins before arrival
One of the most important parts of our conversation was recognising that access begins long before somebody reaches the water.
For a blind or partially sighted person travelling alone, the journey from a bus stop or railway station may be just as significant as the water entry itself. Information, transport, orientation, confidence and knowing that somebody will be there to meet you can determine whether a visit feels possible.
We discussed the idea of a volunteer meeting a swimmer at the bus stop and guiding them to the site. We also talked about person-led approaches to guiding on land and in the water, beginning with a simple question: what support works best for you?
This matters because accessibility is not created by one feature alone. A ramp, handrail or accessible toilet may be useful, but none of these operates in isolation. Access emerges through the relationship between people, place, information, transport, surfaces, changing facilities, water entry, confidence and care.
Swimming in Monet Lake
The visit also gave me the opportunity to swim in Monet Lake.
Framed by trees and water lilies, Monet is described as the farm’s tranquil lake. The swim was exceptional. It was calm, quiet and unlike anywhere else I had visited.
It genuinely felt like heaven on earth.
Swimming there also reinforced something central to my research: the wellbeing associated with blue spaces cannot be separated from the conditions that make participation possible. A place may be beautiful, peaceful and restorative, but those qualities are not equally available if people cannot reach, understand or use the space with confidence.
At Pool Bridge Farm, however, access and care for the environment are not being treated as competing priorities. The team is exploring how the natural character of the lakes can be protected while participation is widened.
That is an important distinction. Inclusion does not require every outdoor space to become identical or highly engineered. It requires careful attention to the relationships between ecology, infrastructure, information, support and the people who use the site.
Turning the visit into practical resources
Following the visit, I produced two resources for the team.
The first was a collaborative review of both the website’s accessibility information and wider access across the site. It builds on the work already taking place and offers practical suggestions relating to visitor information, arrival, routes, facilities, water entry and future development.
The second was a shorter guide for blind and partially sighted swimmers, staff and volunteer swim guides. It covers preparation before arrival, guiding on land and in the water, entry and exit, role boundaries and safety responsibilities.
Both documents are intended as supportive resources rather than formal requirements. They can be adapted as the organisation develops and as the team continues to learn from disabled visitors.
Change grows through relationships
The visit reminded me of the value of meeting in place.
A website or photograph can show a path, changing space or set of steps, but it cannot fully communicate distance, sound, gradient, fatigue, confidence, staff support or the experience of entering the water.
Walking the routes, standing at the lake edges, talking with the team and swimming in Monet Lake made the discussion specific and grounded.
It also demonstrated how research can move beyond identifying barriers. Through relationships, conversation and practical collaboration, it can help create new possibilities.
My sincere thanks go to Charlotte for making the introduction and for taking the time to continue the conversation with me the following morning. Thank you also to Emma, Sarah and everyone at Pool Bridge Farm for the invitation, the generous welcome and their openness to learning together.
I am also extremely grateful to James Ebdon, Corina Ciocan and the University of Brighton’s Centre for Environment and Society for funding the visit and making this knowledge exchange possible.
This is how change happens: through relationships, listening and action. Access is not a token feature added at the end. It grows through the ongoing entanglement of people, place, support, information and care.
