A visually impaired swimmer and guide prepare to enter the open water at Sea Lanes Brighton. Behind them, volunteers and supporters stand ready on the poolside.
PhD researcher Sadie Rockliffe (School of Business and Law) led the project with supervisory support from Dr Catherine Kelly. Together they received seed funding from the Centre for Arts and Wellbeing to pilot a unique swimming event for visually impaired (VI) adults at Sea Lanes Brighton, the UK’s National Open Water Swimming Centre. Working in partnership with Sight Support Worthing, local guides, community volunteers, and Sadie’s second supervisor Dr Mary Gearey, the event combined a private, supported swim with an inclusive wellbeing and reflection session.
For some participants, it was their very first experience of swimming since losing their sight; for others, it marked a long-awaited return. One swimmer reflected: “This was the first time I felt truly welcome and supported in the water…… the only time I didn’t feel disabled.”
Following the swim, Catherine Kelly facilitated a wellbeing activity to help participants ground and reflect on the sensory richness of the experience. The group gathered over hot drinks and pastries to continue the conversation. Discussions explored what water means personally and emotionally, the sense of freedom it brings, and the wider access barriers that often prevent more regular participation.
These shared reflections created a powerful space for storytelling, connection and co-imagining how blue spaces might be made more inclusive.
The impact of this pilot has already been profound. Sea Lanes Brighton has now launched weekly VI only swim sessions, supported by a dedicated shuttle service run by visually impaired community members. These sessions attract swimmers from across the country and have sparked the development of lasting guiding networks between participants and volunteers.
The project has attracted significant national visibility. It was featured live on BBC Breakfast and across BBC South Today and ITV Meridian, with further coverage on national BBC radio bulletins and regional stations. Alongside this mainstream media profile, the work has reached specialist audiences through RNIB Connect Radio, the BBC Access All podcast, and the SCDTP Speaking of Research podcast. Its impact has also been amplified through invitations to deliver webinars, training sessions and workshops, ensuring the project continues to inform and inspire across both public and professional platforms.
Looking forward, Sadie is collaborating with Swim Trek and a local artist to co-create Gateway to the Sea, an exhibition and VI swim event scheduled for summer 2026. Alongside this, the new digital platform www.AccessibleWaters.co.uk shares participant stories, resources, and media updates, ensuring the project continues to inspire and connect communities. Sadie has also been invited to share this work as a best practice case study with landowners, NGOs and community organisations across the UK and internationally, helping to shape more inclusive approaches to blue space access well beyond Brighton.
This project shows what can be achieved when research, community and practice come together to reimagine access. It forms part of Sadie’s doctoral research funded by the South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership (SCDTP) and the ESRC, supported by the Centre for Arts and Wellbeing and the Centre for Environment and Society at the University of Brighton. Sadie is supervised by Dr Catherine Kelly and Dr Mary Gearey at the University of Brighton, and Dr Ben Whitburn at the University of Southampton.
For more information about the project, you can visit the https://accessiblewaters.co.uk/ website, or see the full report on the project here: CAW Seed Fund Project Update (August 2025) Sensing the Sea – Outcomes and Impact Report.
