Three generations of Yorkshire family in Great North Swim for mental health charity

By Ruth Dacey
Published 17th Jun 2021, 16:45 BST
Updated 22nd Jun 2021, 10:38 BST
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A family of open water swimmers have braved a dip into cold waters in the north of England to raise funds to help with mental health in the UK.

An adventurous family of open water swimmers from Leeds have braved cold water temperatures, clad in their swimming costumes, to raise money and awareness for mental health charity Mind.

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

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Pictured, left to right: Isla, with her grandmother Jan Van Loo. and mother Indea Beck. The adventurous trio completed the Great North swim recently for the mental health charity MIND. Photo credit: Submitted picturePictured, left to right: Isla, with her grandmother Jan Van Loo. and mother Indea Beck. The adventurous trio completed the Great North swim recently for the mental health charity MIND. Photo credit: Submitted picture
Pictured, left to right: Isla, with her grandmother Jan Van Loo. and mother Indea Beck. The adventurous trio completed the Great North swim recently for the mental health charity MIND. Photo credit: Submitted picture

Among the participants from Britain's biggest annual open swimming event last weekend was first-time cold water swimmer eight-year-old Isla, from Pudsey, who was joined by grandmother Jan Van Loo, 67, and her parents Indea and Steve Beck.

The determined youngster, who attends Pudsey Primrose Hill primary school, took up open-water swimming specifically for the challenge after being inspired by her grandmother.

Jan, who lives in Hull, has previously completed the Relay Channel Swim - which covers 22 miles between the UK and France and at the World Swimming World Championships in 2016 where she took part Siberian lake swim - swimming in a carved out section of the lake covered in ice, in Tyumen, Russia.

Isla said: "'l wanted to follow in Nanna’s footsteps... and also help towards the great work that the Mind charity to help the people that need it and raising money for them encouraged us as a family to push hard and swim well."

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