Having been lucky enough to live close to the coast in the beautiful South Hams for over 40 years I have a lifelong love of the sea and shore. I spent much of my free time at the beach but realised I was missing out on the tremendous benefits I saw others gaining from the wonderful resource that is the sea by only swimming in it at the warmest times of the year. When I retired from my job as a Primary school teacher, in 2022, I had enough spare time to commit to a weekly cold water swimming course run by Into the Blue at Bigbury on Sea. That turned out to be an experience that transformed my life by helping me rebuild confidence after my own Cancer diagnosis. Since then, not only have I swum in the sea every week of the year, but I have done so with people I met through Into the Blue. They are an incredibly supportive and inclusive bunch of people who are more like family due to the strength of the bonds formed between us. Recognising the enormous impact of an Into the Blue course led me to volunteer on subsequent courses and it has been a real privilege to be able to offer support and encouragement to others as they ventured into the water. I knew from personal experience just how scary it felt at first, but also the huge potential it offered for improving your life.