Covid-19: Great North Swim returns to Windermere

The swim is Britain's biggest open water swimming event

Britain's biggest annual open swimming event has returned after being cancelled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Great North Swim attracts thousands of people to Windermere in the Lake District.

Strict procedures would keep participants, supporters and staff safe, The Great Run Company said.

Event director Colin Murphy hoped the swim would be "a beacon on the road to recovery for the Lake District".

"Although necessary, it was extremely disappointing not to be able to stage last year's event and we're looking forward to seeing our swimmers back in the water," he said.

Among the participants are a group of first-time cold water swimmers taking part to support 12-year-old Will Taylor, from Milnthorpe in Cumbria, who has the muscle-wasting condition Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Will Taylor's friends and family are fundraising for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research

The friends, aged between 17 and 59, took up open-water swimming specifically for the challenge.

Training in April was so cold there was snow on the mountain peaks and the water was four degrees, they said.

Will's aunt, Angela Cornthwaite, said: "Despite living in the Lake District, we aren't really what could be classed as keen swimmers.

"For those who hadn't done any open water swimming before, our starting training sessions, with water temperatures of only 9 degrees, left us quickly ordering anything neoprene to keep us from freezing," she said.

Information signs this year include the now familiar request to sanitise hands

Covid precautions include open-air changing, sanitising stations and swimmer-only zones at the start and finish.

Social distancing requirements will mean supporters have to watch a big screen to see family members taking part.

A moment of rest is permitted - with distancing factored in

The event allows for different ages and abilities with distances from 250m to 10k.

TV and TOWIE personality James "Arg" Argent is due to take part as a way of keeping motivated to stick to his fitness goals which include another bid to swim the English Channel, organisers said.

"He hopes he can inspire people struggling with their fitness to get involved in open water swimming," they added.