More than 4,900 people, aged 10 to 86, completed the 2024 edition of Swim Serpentine in a celebration of open water swimming in London’s iconic Hyde Park.
The seventh edition of the event welcomed swimmers of all abilities and from different backgrounds to take on a choice of four distances: half mile, one mile, two miles or six miles.
Among those taking part were more than 1,400 completing their London Classics by swimming the two-mile distance.
Swimmers across the day also included an 80-year-old who took part as a part of her birthday celebrations, almost 100 swimmers from community swim crews around London, and Jade Kingdom who was the first woman with Down’s syndrome to complete a sprint triathlon.
There were also over 100 charities with places and more than 550 charity swimmers, plus even more fundraising. Among them was actress Juliet Stevenson, who swam for West London Welcome, a community centre for refugees and migrants.
Ben Craddock, Event Lead of Swim Serpentine, said: “It has been another wonderful edition of Swim Serpentine. We’ve seen more than 4,800 people enjoy the unique experience of swimming in this iconic central London location with many taking part in a mass open water swim of this kind for the first time.
“One of our ambitions as an event is to make this accessible to as many people as possible and to see participants ranging in age from 10 to 86, from all different backgrounds and of all abilities shows we are starting to make a difference in showing that open water swimming can be for everyone. We’re excited to build on this and make the 2025 edition even better.”
We wanted our friend to take on Swim Serpentine for her 80th birthday
Friends Sian Blatchford, 62, and Lena Buckley, 80, took on the half-mile swim. The pair have inspired each other to lead active lives and Sian wanted to surprise her friend with a place at this year’s Swim Serpentine.
Sian said: “Lena first taught me how to run when I was in my 50s and she took me through a journey to the point where I was able to do the London Marathon this year.
“Lena has always wanted to swim the Serpentine for her 80th birthday so when my friend Sharon and I saw this event was taking place a month after Lena turned 80, we thought: ‘Well, we need to get training as Lena needs to do this!’ Lena has done so much for us and a lot of runners in Plymouth over the years. We felt we needed to do it for her, it was a surprise for her 80th birthday.
“It was fabulous. I was quite surprised; it was much warmer than what I thought. It was lovely, seeing the swans and the support and everybody enjoying the event.”
80-year-old swimmer Lena Buckley added: “I just love a challenge. It was brilliant, I really enjoyed it. Swimming keeps me young, you just don’t feel as if you’re old. Your body might be getting older, but your mind isn’t. I just love to keep active, today has been nice, I’ve enjoyed it.”
Truly, Madly, Deeply star Juliet Stevenson swims for West London Welcome charity
Among the swimmers taking part for charity was the star of stage and screen Juliet Stevenson.
Stevenson appeared in films including Emma, Bend It Like Beckham, and Truly, Madly, Deeply, and her latest film, Reawakening, was released on Friday 13 September, the evening before her half-mile swim.
Stevenson was swimming the half-mile distance at Swim Serpentine to raise money for West London Welcome, a Refugee and Migrant community centre in west London offering creative and practical classes, casework and social cohesion.
Stevenson said: “I love swimming in lakes and rivers, I’m not very practised at it but I like doing things I’ve never done before. Today was absolutely gorgeous: blue sky, brilliant autumn sun, geese and swans flying over your head, fantastic atmosphere.
“West London Welcome supports about 250 people each week. They offer a range of services and it is an amazing, inspiring place with an incredible team of volunteers and staff. But they receive absolutely no government money, so they depend on fundraising.
“It is the end of a lovely week, Reawakening opened last night but this [Swim Serpentine] has been pure joy. It is just a glorious event and the atmosphere is buzzing.”
Community swim crews represented at Swim Serpentine 2024
To support more communities to experience swimming, for the first time ever Swim Serpentine introduced discounted community entries.
Almost 100 people took part via a community place, representing crews including Swimmerbolts, Cycle Sisters and Fund Her Tri, among others.
Afe Komolafe was one of the community swimmers, taking on the half-mile distance. A member of Swimmerbolts, Afe wasn’t a regular outdoor swimmer before joining the crew and signing up for Swim Serpentine alongside the 24 other Swimmerbolts members also taking part throughout the day.
Afe said: “It was amazing, beforehand I heard that the water was going to be cold, but I just prepared myself psychologically and kept my eyes on the goal: on the Finish Line.
“I’ve done loads of London Marathon Events now and they’re always amazing, especially with the diversity we see now. It’s amazing seeing people that look like me, people from all different communities.
“There’s this myth that people who look like me have thick bones but it’s a lie. I just swam the Serpentine, I can float; we can do it. If you’re thinking about if you should swim or not, just do it! You can do it!”
Lionel Mullin was another Swimmerbolts member who took part in 2024 for the first time. Lionel took on the two-mile distance, completing the last leg of his London Classics.
He said: “I would love to do it all over again. I absolutely loved it; the joy is just through the roof. This is my first open water swimming event; I’ve been training for about three months and one of the peaks of the training was being able to swim as part of a group, Swimmerbolts. Being able to share ideas and be inspired by each other has been absolutely fantastic. Having the taster sessions a few weeks ago really helped and prepared us for today.”
Jade conquers Swim Serpentine after becoming first woman with Down’s syndrome to complete a sprint triathlon
Jade Kingdom became the first person with Down’s syndrome to complete a sprint triathlon (female) when she finished the 750m swim, 20K cycle and 5K run at the London Triathlon in 2021.
On Saturday 14 September, she took on the one-mile distance at Swim Serpentine alongside her guide, Tom Mahoney.
After collecting her medal, Jade said: “It was very hard, my arms really hurt! But I have really enjoyed it.”
Tom added: “Today wasn’t about time, it was just about getting to the finish and raising the money for North Devon Hospice. To date, Jade has raised over £30,000 for them, she picks an event every year, or three this year, and fundraises by chucking herself in cold water!
“What we’ve always tried to do through Jade and her events is show people it doesn’t matter what disability you’ve got or if you’re scared of open water swimming, everything is achievable – you’ve just got to want to do it and commit yourself.
“It doesn’t matter how fast you are, it is about participation, which is what the Swim Serpentine is amazing for because it is not about racing it is about participation. It is a great event for Jade, and she has really enjoyed herself out there today.”