River Thames Reflections
Immersing in to the worlds
of Thames swimmers
The Research
Research Overview
Exploring the swimming community of the River Thames
This project will immerse into the river swimming community of England’s longest river:
the Thames. In the context of numerous threats facing our rivers, from sewage effluent to nitrate, phosphate and heavy metals pollution, I want to capture the significance of the Thames to its swimmers, and their significance to the river. This is a PhD research project funded by ESRC and based at Cardiff University.
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Are you a Thames swimmer who wants to participate? Please fill in the form below or click on the 'Take Part' page found above.
Immersive Methods
Listening to the River Thames and its swimmers
Over the seasons of one year, from Autumn 2025 to Summer 2026, I will swim with Thames swimmers to immerse into their experiences of river swimming. Our conversations will be recorded using a GoPro camera.
I am not only hoping to capture the voices of Thames swimmers, but also the voice of the river itself. I will be walking the Thames from source to sea in June 2025. See the Methods page for further details and to explore what participating would mean for you.
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Are you a Thames swimmer who wants to participate? Please fill in the form below or click on the 'Take Part' page found above.
About the Researcher
My name is Safi Bailey and I am a PhD researcher based in the Social Sciences School at Cardiff University. I grew up in Oxfordshire, a 10-minute walk from the River Thames. Having spent childhood summers and adulthood winters swimming in its waters, I have a deep affection for this river and its swimming communities. I want to understand what this river means to its swimmers and, in return, what they mean for their river.
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