Swimmers Dive In for a Feel-Good Day at Cornwall Swim Festival

The first ever Cornwall Swim Festival made waves at Trevassack Lake this weekend, bringing together 85 swimmers, families and local businesses in support of the Children’s Sailing Trust (CST).

Celebration of Community and Open-Water Fun

Hosted by CST Experiences and organised by Cornish Kelpie, the event offered five swimming distances ranging from a fast-paced 50m dash to a 1500m endurance swim. Sponsored by Dryrobe, the festival catered to all levels, with visitors enjoying the lively and friendly atmosphere both in and out of the water.

The event followed last month’s announcement of support from Falmouth Harbour, who funded and supplied a new set of safety buoys for the lake. The bright buoys, replacing older deflated floats, were in use just in time for the festival.

“The new buoys looked fantastic and added to the professional, welcoming setup of the day,” said CST CEO Jakie Jewell. “We’re incredibly grateful to Miles Carden and the Falmouth Harbour team for their partnership and continued commitment to safe, inclusive access to Cornwall’s waters.”

Local Businesses and Lakeside Vibes

Cornish small businesses also took part, including Peth, Lesa Welch Art, Corca Mor, Little Green Fox, Amy’s Silver Jewellery and Own the Adventure swimwear, who donate a portion of profits to Breast Cancer UK. The Mor Holan Sauna proved popular with swimmers and spectators looking to warm up between events.

Visitors were treated to talks by keynote speaker Professor Mike Tipton and the RNLI, while Rewind Radio and DJ Sam from Cafe Wahala kept the music flowing along the beach. The Trevassack Lake Cafe enjoyed a record day of sales, serving artisan coffee, homemade cakes and fresh street food throughout the day.

Charity Raffle and Positive Feedback

A raffle organised by Cornish Kelpie helped raise funds for Children’s Sailing Trust, with prizes donated by stallholders. Proceeds will support CST’s work giving young people confidence and independence through sailing and watersports.

Feedback from participants was glowing. Leila Reay described the day as “super friendly, caring, informative, inclusive and well organised.” Alison Turner called it “an uplifting day full of positive energy, good vibes and inspiring people.”

Sally Steggell said it was “an amazingly lovely, chilled, fun day – lots of swimming, chatting, shopping and fab talks,” while Sam Brown added, “such a positive, inclusive day. I found the speakers very interesting.”

Jane Walter commented, “What a lovely way to spend a day with like-minded people. Thank you so much to everyone involved for making it such a super event,” and Andree Carter said she “really enjoyed the whole experience.”

Looking Ahead

Event organiser Jo Wilce of Cornish Kelpie summed it up: “It was a fantastic day – thank you to everyone who came and supported us. Bring on next year!”

CST CEO Jakie Jewell added, “This event was about so much more than swimming, it was about community. Seeing the lake alive with people, laughter and positivity reminded us exactly why we do what we do. We’re so proud of our team and partners who made it all possible, with a particular shout out to the local Mullion Surf Life Savers Club and our dedicated volunteers who were out on the water for several hours keeping everyone safe.”

With such a strong debut, plans are already in motion to bring the Cornwall Swim Festival back next year, promising to be even bigger and better while continuing to support the charity’s mission to make watersports accessible for all.