Meet the Seaham woman who shed 20 stone after turning to wild swimming and made a film about her journey

Kathleen Wotton, 51, suffers from a range of debilitating health conditions including osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia and lipoedema which has seen her struggle with her weight and mental health.

However, the Covid pandemic and lockdown exacerbated the situation to the point where Kathleen saw her weight increase to over 40 stone.

She said: “I had a fall during lockdown and it got to the point where I literally couldn’t get off the sofa and had given up on life.

“I was suffering from depression and put so much weight on. I was over 40 stone but I don’t know my exact weight as it had got to the point where it wouldn’t register on the scales.”

Like many people during lockdown, Kathleen’s family turned to outdoor pursuits, including wild swimming and it was seeing photographs of her siblings in the sea at Seaham that proved to be a turning point for her.

She said: “I saw my sisters in the sea during lockdown and I phoned one of them, Sarah. I was in tears on the phone.

“I really wanted to give it a go but I just didn’t think I would be able to do it, but she just said ‘you don’t know until you give it a go’.”

Overcoming her anxiety, in summer 2020 Kathleen plucked up the courage to join Sarah and the rest of her family wild swimming in the North Sea at Seaham.

Kathleen, who lives in Murton, said: “Coming down the steps and onto the beach I kept falling over but once I got into the water I just felt alive.

“The cold water just took away the pain. Other people on the beach were also so supportive.”

Since then, Kathleen has been a regular visitor to Seaham beach and has seen both her mental and physical health improve after shedding over 20 stone.

She said: “I’m not saying everything is perfect, but wild swimming has become a passion and really improved my wellbeing.

“I bought a bikini which I use for my swims as now I don’t care what people think about how I look and I’m becoming more confident.”

After posting footage of her wild swimming exploits on Facebook, Kathleen was contacted by film maker and animator Ellie Land about producing a documentary about her wild swimming journey.

Ellie met with Kathleen and the pair collaborated to produce a film which combines animation of her story along with narration of her own personal account.

She added: “I talk about my own personal journey and the difficulties I’ve faced with my own physical and mental health.

“I also talk about turning to wild swimming and the animation shows the change I experience after going into the sea.

“I wanted to make the film to hopefully inspire other people who have given up to hopefully go on their own journey.”

Entitled ‘Plunge’, the movie has been screened at a range of film festivals including New York, Chicago, Normandy, and Kendal Mountain Festival, where it won an award for the ‘best creative film’.

On February 22 at Seaham Town Hall, Kathleen is hosting a screening of the film along with a question and answer session.

She said: “All the money raised will be going to the charity Access North East which provides equipment to ensure beaches are accessible to people with disabilities.

“I just want to raise awareness, that whatever difficulties people are facing, we are all the same on the inside.”

You can find out more and purchase tickets for the Seaham screening via the EventBrite website.