Wild swimming film raising funds for Crisis

A documentary film about a fearless ice swimmer is raising vital funds to tackle homelessness.

Filmed in 2020, Body of Water follows the mental and physical journeys of Kendal-based Gilly McArthur as she takes icy swims across the Lake District and Scottish Highlands. Gilly is one of the 28-strong January Daily Dip team of wild swimmers across the North of England who this year have raised over £45,000 for homelessness charity Crisis, as part of its yearly Icebreaker challenge.

Now with Body of Water featuring on the Sheffield Adventure Film Festival (ShaFF) throughout February, the filmmakers are donating a portion of their streaming income from the film to Crisis. 

Viewers can watch Body and Water and two more films about wild swimming for £7.19, with the proceeds split between ShAFF and the filmmakers. Sequence 13, the team behind Body of Water, have pledged 30% of the money they make through the streams to the January Daily Dip’s Crisis fundraiser.

Scott Salt, co-director of Body of Water, said: “It is impossible not to be inspired by Gilly McArthur. Her kindness and overall approach to life is amazing. So when we found out we had the opportunity to support her and the other Daily Dippers in their incredible feat of swimming every day in January, it was a no-brainer.  

“Sequence 13 is a new filmmaking venture for me and Benjamin Paul and our ethos is rooted in people and the environment. Being able to have a positive impact on fundraising for Crisis is about social responsibility for us. Wherever possible, we believe it's crucial to protect our planet and help every human being that calls it home.  
 
“We’d like to publicly thank Gilly for sharing so much time, energy and, of course, her story with us. We’d also like to thank the wild swimming community as a whole for their overwhelming support for our film, Body Of Water.”

Gilly McArthur said: “Getting into cold water is a choice and a privilege for me but for many people getting cold is a not a choice. It’s wonderful to be supporting Crisis at this time, as they help people who are at the really sharp end of poverty. Homelessness right now is so bad, and the work Crisis does is absolutely crucial.” 

Jon Sparkes, chief executive of Crisis, said: “We are so grateful to the team at Sequence 13 for generously donating a portion of their income from Body of Water to Crisis. Gilly and the rest of the January Daily Dip team inspired us all through their incredible fundraising this year. Both they and Sequence 13 have shown that in these incredibly hard and bitterly cold times, people facing homelessness cannot be forgotten.” 

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors

Body of Water (trailer) is being featured by Sheffield Adventure Film Festival throughout February and is available to rent from Reelhouse in a Wild Swim package with two more films (£7.19 approximate price, viewers charged $10.00 USD)

January Daily Dip Crisis fundraising page

For more information about open water swimming and the Crisis Icebreaker fundraiser click here.

High-res image of Gilly McArthur: https://we.tl/t-tDhaDx6AyN