The woman training for a Channel swim in her wheelie bin

Cold-water swimmer Lucy Ashdown-Parkes has found a creative way to train for her next big swim.Photo: Lucy Ashdown-Parkes

Lucy Ashdown-Parkes, 45, is a swimming teacher from Surrey. In 2020, she successfully swam the English Channel.

Now, she is training to swim the North Channel, from Ireland to Scotland. “I love a challenge,” she told us. “The North Channel appealed as it’s notoriously tough. A next level challenge.”

With the temperature of the water being colder that far north, Lucy has had to get creative with her training during lockdown. "I was desperate to carry on swimming in cold water [during lockdown],” she says, “but putting a large paddling pool in the garden wasn’t an option.”

To train for the cold temperatures, she has had to improvise. She now uses her friend’s spare council-issue wheelie bin filled with ice water. She sits in it for ten minutes, ten times a day to get used to the cold water.

She told MyLondon: "With lockdown exercise local rules I’ve had to switch to land based training of running, rowing, static bike, strength work and ten daily mini dips in my wheelie bin - I’m out in all weathers!"

Cold-water swimming has become popular in recent years. The effects of cold-water immersion on the body include endorphin highs, enhanced circulation and stress reduction.

“I can’t say I enjoy sitting in a wheelie bin,” says Lucy. “But I do love the feeling of being surrounded by water, and being outside. The bin is a good as it gets in the current situation. Some days I dread going out, actually most days. But then I feel great afterwards, and I know it’s a positive step towards my goal I can make every day."