AN outdoor swimmer from Wallasey has taken to the water for a year-long charity challenge and needs your support.
Graham Bell said he embarked on the mission - to swim outdoors every day for one year in aid of Citizens Advice Wirral - by accident.
After taking up outdoor swimming two years ago, last September he realised that if he swam every day for the remainder of 2018, he would be able to clock up more than 300 swims in that year.
Graham hit his target, and then kept on going.
He has now been swimming outdoors every day since September 22 last year and hopes Globe readers will help him raise more funds.
Most of his swims are in the Marine Lake in New Brighton in the early morning, with some in the River Mersey and River Dee.
But when he's been away from home, Graham has also swum in Ullswater, Bassenthwaithe, LLyn Padarn, Llyn Nantlle and Cardigan Bay.
The 53-year-old - who has volunteered and worked for Citizens Advice Wirral for 14 years - is using his 365 swim challenge to raise money to celebrate their 80th birthday.
He said: "One of my favourite swims is on a cold still winter morning when the tide is low in the Mersey.
"I'm very lucky to be part of an informal group of swimmers from a wide range of backgrounds brought together by a love of swimming outdoors.
"We meet up at the Old Mother Redcaps site on the promenade, walk out over the sands to the River; in the winter we are often in the water as the sun starts to rise over the Liverpool skyline - it is beautiful.
"The best summer swim day so far was on the summer solstice.
"I had a sunrise swim in Snowdonia (LLyn Nantlle) and then joined a group swim around the bottom of Hilbre Island as the sun was setting.
"I've seen seals when swimming near Hilbre and plenty of jellyfish when the waters warmed up - such as Lion's Mane, Compass, Barrel, Moon and Blue.
"It's been brilliant for me in many ways, meeting lovely people, doing something adventurous on the doorstep and getting all the health benefits.
"My worst swim was on a short break to south Wales in March: the bigger rivers were too dangerous to get into because of heavy rain so I had to get into a stream on the farmer’s land where we were staying.
"On winter days I'm often in the water for only a few minutes; most of us don’t wear wetsuits so in winter it's more of a dip than a swim with water and air temperatures at or below 0c."
CAW provides help to people to resolve a wide range of issues: debt management, problems with housing and rent, relationship issues, consumer rights, universal credit, budgeting and social prescribing.
To sponsor Graham, visit
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here