Page 18 - br-may-2021

May 2021 May 2021

cannot be collected for fear of contaminating the whole lorry load. Instead they We were soon being asked to take to
are collected as rubbish and sent for treatment, at a greater expense to the the water and form a line just in front
council and the taxpayer. Dorset Council hopes that not only will the campaign of the slipway. Once in the water it
raise awareness of the problem of putting nappies in recycling bins, it will became clear that the tide would be
encourage people to choose to start using reusable nappies which are better for running fairly strongly against us for
the environment and save money for both parents and the council. The the first part of the swim. However,
campaign will be appearing on billboards around the country. In Dorset, the there was much jollity amongst the
campaign will mainly be supported by social media posts and advertising. swimmers as we prepared for the
start, and then we were off!

Arms flailing, leg kick full tilt, it is always
Tenants protected from unsafe accommodation the same in these races whether it is a
mile or ten miles, everyone goes for it
Officers were called to a converted stable block which was being used for rented at the start. I tried to settle into a
accommodation by a couple and their two young children; they found unsafe steady rhythm and lengthened my arm stroke whilst finding some clear water and
living conditions including disrepair to flooring and bathroom fittings. The landlord staying close to shore.
had no gas safety certificate or Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). The owner
was required to carry out repairs and a legal notice was served to ensure an EPC The swim is anti clockwise around the island so for me breathing mainly left sided,
was obtained. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) were contacted and they it was great! The trouble is that if you stay too close to the coastline, you tend to
required the gas certificate to be obtained. Upon inspection by a Gas Safe get caught up in the rocks and snag your hands, knees or feet on the hidden
engineer, the gas boiler was found to be dangerous and was condemned. A new rocks beneath the surface.
gas boiler was installed. The family were moved into safe accommodation via
Housing Services and the landlord has since ceased using the accommodation The island is a mile round and because of the tidal flow, difficult to pick a line to
for rent. make maximum use of it. The safety paddlers were on call as we made our way
to the western edge then making our turn to swim on the far side of the island.
Here, there was a fairly heavy swell and the sea was being whipped up and few

white seahorses began to appear.
A direct message from the Police concerning violence against
women I love swimming in rough water and so enjoyed the sea crashing around me. I
found myself in the company of a couple of other swimmers and swam with them
Recently many people in our communities have felt the need to speak out about for a while. One of the joys of open water swimming is being with others and
their experiences and fears of violence, abuse, or harassment in this country. We pitting yourself against the elements.
acknowledge that this is a very real and concerning problem in our own At last I could see the hotel astride the cliff tops. Not much further now. The swim
communities in Dorset and recognise that people are worried. We would like to had been more challenging than I had imagined given the prevailing weather
reassure everyone that we understand your concerns and we are listening to conditions but as I turned the last corner, the slipway and the finish came into
them. It is completely unacceptable for women of any age to feel unsafe view.
whether they are at home, on the streets, in school or at work.
My number was checked as I came
This is a problem that directly affects half of our communities and we need to out the water and I was offered a
ensure women and all in our communities feel safe. It is paramount that we as a traditional tot of rum as the island’s
police service are part of the solution, stand alongside women and girls in our own “merman” (a chap in drag!)
communities and bring about real change that will benefit generations to looked on. There were only around 10
come. Dorset Police remains absolutely committed to protecting everyone from swimmers on the slipway and Diana
violence and society must play their part in stopping this. We take reports of told me later that I came around
violence, harassment, and assault very seriously. We will investigate these reports 11/12 . I guess this was not bad for an
th
and do everything we can, working with partners across the criminal justice old boy old enough to be the
grandfather of some of the swimmers.

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