Although Simonetta enjoyed the occasional outdoor swim before the pandemic, it wasn’t until lockdown that she realised how beneficial it could be for her mental health. “Being cooped up at home I suddenly had this absolute need to be around cold water,” she says. “I started having cold showers, then went to the beach and local ponds as soon as I could.” In the summer of 2021 she was accepted as a member at the Serpentine Swimming Club in Hyde Park, close to where she lives in north London. “There was a waiting list and it took forever to join. I felt as if I’d won the lottery.”
She didn’t join with the intention of making new friends, and describes herself as more of an introvert. “The house had turned into a bit of a pressure cooker with all my family at home,” she says. “My plan was to get my cold water fix and cycle back.” But she soon found herself striking up conversations with Juliet, who regularly swam during the same 9am slot as her.
