This month I was delighted to be invited to the launch of Sea Lanes Canary Wharf, London’s new National Open Water Swimming Centre.
Situated within Eden Dock at Canary Wharf, the new venue is centred around a 50-metre floating natural water swimming pool, creating a unique space where outdoor swimming, wellbeing and community come together in the heart of London. Developed by the team behind Sea Lanes Brighton in partnership with Canary Wharf Group and South Downs Leisure, the project represents an exciting step forward in making open water swimming more visible and accessible within urban environments.
As someone researching accessibility, inclusion and blue spaces, it was a real privilege to experience the venue before its public opening and to see the vision behind the project come to life.
The afternoon brought together swimmers, researchers, organisations and advocates from across the outdoor swimming community. There was an overwhelming sense of optimism as people explored the new facilities, connected over shared interests and celebrated another milestone for outdoor swimming in the UK.
It was also wonderful to attend alongside my University of Brighton supervisor, Dr Catherine Kelly, whose work continues to shape conversations around blue space, health and wellbeing. We were also delighted to catch up with Paralympian Melanie Barratt, who had been invited to take part in the launch relay as part of the Swim Stars team. Watching Melanie race in such an exciting new venue was a real highlight of the afternoon and a reminder of the growing momentum behind making swimming more inclusive for everyone.
For me, the launch also provided an opportunity to reflect on the importance of designing blue spaces that welcome a wide range of people from the outset.
As outdoor swimming continues to grow in popularity, there is an opportunity to ensure that accessibility, inclusion and community are considered alongside physical infrastructure. Creating spaces where people feel welcome, supported and able to participate is just as important as creating the facilities themselves.
The timing of the launch also felt particularly significant. In just a couple of weeks, we’ll be delivering Gateway to the Sea, our University of Brighton-funded project supporting blind and partially sighted people to experience open water swimming for the first time. Delivered in partnership with British Blind Sport, SwimTrek, Sea Lanes Brighton, Red Equipment and Paralympian Melanie Barratt, the project has grown directly from my doctoral research exploring the lived experiences of people with visual impairments accessing blue spaces.
Events like the launch of Sea Lanes Canary Wharf reinforce that blue spaces are about far more than swimming. They are places where health, wellbeing, community, connection and belonging intersect.
Congratulations to everyone involved in bringing this ambitious project to life. I look forward to seeing the community that grows around it and hope it inspires many more inclusive blue space initiatives across the UK.
