Aerial view of the Barnes start on the Thames, with the event village, start arch, kayaks and safety boats spread across the river

The inaugural class

Founding Swimmers 2026

In September 2026, our founding swimmers took to the tidal Thames for the first Swim London. By swimming from Brentford and Barnes to Putney, they helped bring organised swimming back to a historically polluted river—and showed what London’s waterways could become.

These are the swimmers who completed the inaugural Swim London and will always be part of its history.

10 km Founding Swimmers

Brentford to Putney

James Alvey
Ruth Ambrose
Neil Ashcroft
Daniel Barton
Vincent Bavosi-Polchi
Anna Beckett
Dave Bill
Jo Blount
Jo Bower
Stuart Bowman
Tamara Brewster
Theresa Browne
Graham Buckle
Kate Bulbeck
Patrick Busby
Mark Byrne
Ewan Cameron
Jonno Campion-Smith
Carol Carter
Tamsin Clarke
Laura Coates
Nick Codling
Drew Fobbester
Nina Cron
Bianca De Pooter
Nicky Deane-Simmons
Erik Dekker
Matt Denham
Cathy Denne
Nigel Dodds
Susan Douglas
Tamia Dumortier
Sharon Elliott
Hayley Fahey
Dick George
Val Greenwood
Simon Griffiths
Cayden Guyett-Smith
Collette Guyett-Smith
Michael Hamill
Erika Hayday
Kate Hicken
Katie Hillier
Philip Hilton
Lindsay Hobbs
Rebecca Horsbrugh
Chris Hunt
Simon Hurd
Angie Inglethorpe
Fiona Irwin
Sarah Johnson
Jesse Kelly
Lilian Knight
Vicky Lack
Benoit Lamour
Abigail Lane
Louise Lee
Miki Lentin
Leandra Maria Lima De Sant'Ana
Nicola Malin
Ben McDonald
Tom McDonald
Jonathan Meadows
Nicole Mehta
Luca Minetola
Jessica Noske-Turner
Des O’Carroll
Jean-Sebastien Parley
Mike Phillips
Tom Piney
Tim Platt
Julia Plume
Laura Reineke
Hugo Rodger-Brown
Catrin Rowlands
Luke Schuberth
Thomas Shaw
Taras Starosselets
Mark Stephens
Elizabeth Tarr
Matt Taylor
Eamon Van Der Flier
Stuart Wersby
Jane Whitehouse-Sharpe
Jack Wilshaw
Tim Wright
Luke Wygas

5 km Founding Swimmers

Barnes to Putney

Alicia Alvarez
Matthew Banks
Mariam Barreh
Charles Beckett
Abigail Black
Peter Black
Jane Boorman
Simon Brownleader
Brian Coventry
Janet Croft-Smith
Ben Cummins
Karen Davies
Sarah-Jayne Dominic
Rhianna Donaldson
Cat Dorman
Sonita Dowd
Martin Fahnemann
Fiona Gately
Anastasiya Gorelik
Maylis Grand
Patrick Hall
Michelle Hart
Robert Henson
Adrian Heywood
Michelle Hopkins
Belinda Hurd
Joy Johnston
Timothy Johnston
Ros Kotov
Katie Micklethwaite
Hannah Monaghan
Alexander Morris
Jennifer Moy
Rhiannon O'Flaherty
Caitlyn O'Hara
Anna Ochocinska
Matthew Oflaherty
Gemma Raymond
Billy Robinson
Peter Robinson
Rory Sedgwick
John Shailer
Kath Shailer
Catherine Staines
Catherine Sutcliffe
Glynn Thompson
Emma Thomson
Claire Tomlinson
Rob Wakefield
Gabriel Welsh
Amanda Wersby
Finlay White
Nya Wilkins
Simon Williams
Judith Wood

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On the day

Brentford and Barnes to Putney.

Swimmers in wetsuits and yellow Swim London 10K caps waiting together in the start pen before entering the water

Swimmers and brightly coloured tow floats crossing the Thames with the green ironwork of Hammersmith Bridge behind them

Swimmers rounding a large orange turn buoy on the Thames, escorted by safety kayakers in red event tops

Two swimmers in wetsuits celebrating at the finish, one raising a red Swim London cap above his head, with event crew behind them

Rows of Swim London finisher medals on red lanyards laid out ready to be handed to swimmers

The inaugural Swim London, September 2026.

Founding Swimmer 2026

You’ll always be a founding swimmer

Everyone recognised on this page helped make the first Swim London possible. Download and share your Founding Swimmer 2026 badge.

Founding swimmers · 2026

In their words

What our founding swimmers said about the first Swim London.

“This was the best swim event I have taken part in. So well organised, safe, fast and fun.”

Louise Lee

10km swimmer

01 / 05

The first chapter of Swim London

Our founding swimmers showed what is possible when Londoners are given the opportunity to experience their river differently. This was the first Swim London—but it is only the beginning.