Mental Health Swims

What Mental Health Swims does

Mental Health Swims was a Swansea-based Community Interest Company (CIC) that ran inclusive, peer-led outdoor swimming meetups across the United Kingdom to support people living with mental health challenges. Founded in 2019 by Rachel Ashe as a single community swim, the organization scaled organically over six years to more than 100 swim locations, each facilitated by trained volunteer swim hosts. The service was delivered at no cost to participants, with the organization dependent on grant funding and donations rather than participant fees, and operated with a small staff of seven employees alongside its volunteer host network.

The organization's underlying technology footprint was minimal: it relied on a WordPress website (mentalhealthswims.co.uk), grassroots social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), and word-of-mouth to drive awareness and participation. There were no proprietary platforms, apps, or APIs; the "product" was the volunteer-coordinated outdoor swim meetup itself, supplemented by signposting to mental health crisis services such as Mind, Samaritans, and Hub of Hope. Community engagement was the primary distribution channel, with no formal go-to-market or sales motion.

The business model was a non-profit grant- and donation-funded structure. The organization attempted for more than a year to secure sustainable core funding through grant applications and partnership development. After a critical funding bid was unsuccessful and grants became scarcer and more competitive, the board announced the closure of the organization in October 2025, with no swims taking place after October 20, 2025.

Name

Mental Health Swims

Legal name

Mental Health Swims

Website

https://mentalhealthswims.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mental Health Swims was a UK Community Interest Company that ran free, volunteer-led outdoor swimming meetups across 100+ UK locations to support people with mental health challenges, operating from 2019 until its closure in October 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Mental Health Services

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Aquatic Centers & Swimming Facilities (MPAKAEAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Open Water Swimming Events (OWS Races, Swim Challenges) (MPAKAIAF)

Keywords

• Community mental health support
• Outdoor swimming meetups
• Peer-led wellness groups
• Cold water swimming
• Volunteer community building

Headquarters

HQ city

Swansea

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Mental Health Swims operated as a non-profit community interest company dependent on grant funding and donations. The organization attempted to secure core funding through grants and partnerships for over a year but was unsuccessful, leading to its closure.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Mental Health Swims organized free, inclusive, peer-led outdoor swimming meetups at over 100 UK locations, providing community-based mental health support through cold water immersion and peer connections. The service was delivered entirely by trained volunteer swim hosts and created welcoming spaces for individuals, many living with mental health challenges, to find connection, acceptance, and the therapeutic benefits of cold water and community.

Product overview

Mental Health Swims was a single, unified community-based service offering inclusive peer-led swimming meetups at over 100 locations across the UK. Rather than a platform with modular products, the organization offered one core service: organizing outdoor swimming events led by trained volunteers to create safe, welcoming spaces for people with mental health challenges. The offering also included providing mental health crisis resources and signposting to alternative support services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Peer-Led Swimming Meetups Inclusive, peer-led outdoor swimming meetups organized across over 100 UK locations, providing mental health support through cold water swimming and community connection. The service was delivered by trained volunteer swim hosts and was offered free of charge to participants, including individuals living with mental health challenges seeking safe, welcoming community spaces.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• Mental Health Foundation: UK charity focused on prevention and public mental health. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the UK mental health charity sector that the peer-led, prevention-focused model of Mental Health Swims was adjacent to.
• Swim England: National governing body for swimming in England. Comparable as the established umbrella organisation whose participation and community swimming agenda overlaps with Mental Health Swims' grassroots swim meetup model.
• Mind: Major UK mental health charity providing information, support, and campaigning. Comparable as the dominant established player in the UK mental health support space that Mental Health Swims' participants were also referred to via signposting.
• Samaritans: UK-wide emotional support charity operating a 24/7 helpline. Listed by Mental Health Swims itself as a signposted alternative; comparable as a major incumbent in the UK emotional support space.
• Rethink Mental Illness: UK charity supporting people affected by mental illness through services, groups, and campaigning. Comparable as a larger UK mental health support organisation that competes for the same donor and grant funding pool.

Others

• Wild Things Publishing: Publisher of outdoor and wild swimming books and media. Comparable as an ecosystem participant in the UK outdoor swimming community that targets the same participant base as Mental Health Swims without directly competing as a service provider.
• Hub of Hope: UK mental health support directory explicitly referenced by Mental Health Swims in its closure announcement. Comparable as a UK mental health ecosystem platform addressing the same participant navigation problem of finding local mental health support.

Direct peers

• Outdoor Swimming Society: UK membership community for outdoor swimmers that organises group swims and events. Comparable to Mental Health Swims in outdoor swimming meetup format and UK geography, though broader in purpose (not mental health-specific).
• The Bluetits Chill Swimmers: UK-based volunteer-led cold water swimming community that organises peer-led outdoor swims for women. Most directly comparable organisational model to Mental Health Swims — same grassroots, volunteer-host, free community swim format in the UK.

Emerging players

• Chill UK: UK-based charity that uses cold water swimming and outdoor activities to support mental health and recovery. Closest direct comparator in the cold-water-and-mental-health niche, with a similar volunteer-led model focused on wellbeing outcomes.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/mentalhealthswims
• Facebookfacebook.com/mentalhealthswims
• Instagraminstagram.com/mentalhealthswims
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mental-health-swims

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mental Health Swims