Skip to main content

Lorna swims every day for 1,000 days

WIND, rain and even snow have not stopped one Guernsey woman from swimming in the sea every day for 1,000 days.

Lorna Froome has swum in the sea every day for over 1,000 days. Picture supplied. (28584106)
Lorna Froome has swum in the sea every day for over 1,000 days. Picture supplied. (28584106) / Guernsey Press

Lorna Froome reached the milestone earlier this month and says the end is not in sight for her impressive run.

It started three years ago in September 2017.

‘I’m local and have always lived by the beach, we used to spend all of our time there,’ she said.

‘I then went travelling for a while and when I came back I still didn’t swim in the sea for years.’

On the day that she did, she could not believe she had gone so long without swimming in Guernsey’s beautiful waters and vowed to try to swim every day for a year.

Lorna Froome has just surpassed swimming every day for 1,000 days. She began the challenge originally to swim every day for a year, and decided she would carry on. Swimming at Fort Grey is one of her usual spots. (Picture by Sophie Rabey, 28584190)
Lorna Froome has just surpassed swimming every day for 1,000 days. She began the challenge originally to swim every day for a year, and decided she would carry on. Swimming at Fort Grey is one of her usual spots. (Picture by Sophie Rabey, 28584190) / Guernsey Press

Although things had been going well, despite heading into winter, circumstances meant Ms Froome missed a day in November and had to set the counter back to zero.

‘I then managed to do it all the way through, then a friend said she wanted to swim every day for a year so I carried on to support her, and then two years had passed,’ she said.

Before she knew it, she had reached 1,000 days and a daily dip has become a force of habit.

‘In my first year it snowed twice, but those aren’t actually the cold days, the tough ones are in February when you get out and the wind is blowing and you just have to rush back to the car,’ she said.

‘I don’t have a particular schedule, I just go when the time suits or if it’s high tide, wherever I like or wherever will be a bit more sheltered if it’s a bit windy.’

Picture by Sophie Rabey.  14-08-20.  Lorna Froome has just surpassed swimming every day for 1,000 days.  She began the challenge originally to swim every day for a year, and decided she would carry on.  Swimming at Fort Grey is one of her usual spots.. (28584198)
Picture by Sophie Rabey. 14-08-20. Lorna Froome has just surpassed swimming every day for 1,000 days. She began the challenge originally to swim every day for a year, and decided she would carry on. Swimming at Fort Grey is one of her usual spots.. (28584198) / Guernsey Press

The 45-year-old said sea swimming has made her feel great mentally and is a way to escape from life when she needs it.

‘Something about being out in nature just makes me feel refreshed and calm.’

In lockdown she found the routine of swimming worked well for her, and she noticed many more people sea swimming as well which she said was absolutely fantastic.

She also takes a photo at every swim and when she looks back through her photo diary which she keeps updated on her Instagram page, she can remember almost everything about that swim and that day.

Apart from a trip to Herm, where she took to the water, too, Ms Froome has been based locally.

After her travels she found that sea swimming made her rediscover her love for the island and all it has to offer.

You need to be logged in to comment.