Pagham sea swimmers take a dip to mark the Queen's funeral
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Organiser Geoff Lewis said sea swimmers from The Brass Monkeys and the Bognor Blue Tits came along for the day, which started at 7.30 am and gave swimmers a chance to toast the Queen and remember her lifetime of service.
"It was our way of commemorating it before we headed out to watch the funeral. Everybody met up, one of the guys put on a great spread with a BBQ and sausages and vegan food, we had a little swim, came out for a minute’s silence and broke the silence with ‘God Save the King.’”
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Hide AdAlthough many community organisations, businesses and services chose to close or cancel events on bank holiday Monday, Mr Lewis felt the sea swim gave participants to mourn the Queen as part of a community.
"We don’t feel like were disrespecting her, we’re remembering her in our own way,” he explained. “It was a lovely day, and it was a great way of getting everyone together and everybody took part respectfully. It was perfect because it was about 9.30am by the time we cleared up and that gave us time to get home, get changed and watch the funeral.”
A former Royal Marine, Mr Lewis said that sense of community spirit is a big part of what makes sea swimming such a special hobby: “Going in the sea really brought everybody together. Everybody that came along had a part to play. These things don’t happen without participation. We can put a few flags up and stick a BBQ on, but if people don't turn up, nothing’s going to happen. But everybody had a good time, it brought them together, and I think the Queen would have wanted that.
"Sea swimming is definitely a community building activity. There are so many benefits to it. You can listen to all the claptrap behind it, but I defy anybody to go into the water and come out without actually enjoying it, without a smile on their face.”