From the Inside Out: Into the Blue
When Cold Water Becomes a Warm Community
When someone is diagnosed with cancer, their world often narrows. Routines are lost. Confidence fades. The body and mind become battlegrounds. But for a growing number of people, therapy starts somewhere unexpected: in the sea.
Into the Blue is a cold-water swimming programme that offers more than just a bracing dip. Run by Ellie, an NHS oncology counsellor, it is a lifeline for people dealing with cancer. With warmth, wisdom and care, Ellie has worked to build a programme where vulnerability meets resilience, and strangers become a shoal.
More Than a Swim
Into the Blue is not about fitness, competition or bravado. It is about connection. Ellie describes it as a place where people come to rediscover themselves - not in spite of their cancer, but with it.
"It is not just eight weeks of learning to swim in the cold. It is about learning how to float again, in every sense of the word."
Participants are welcomed regardless of background, diagnosis or confidence in the water. Some haven't swum since childhood. Others have lost their nerve during treatment. Every course begins with gentle, guided introductions and ends with real transformation - physical, emotional and social.
Designed for Safety, Grounded in Care
Chill UK - a charity that guides people to use cold water immersion for the treatment of depression and anxiety coached Ellie, and continue to support her so that she can provide sessions weekly in Bigbury, South Devon. But it is Ellie’s background in trauma counselling and cancer care that shapes every element of the 8-week course. Each session is carefully planned to ensure both physical safety and emotional support. From breathwork and mindfulness on the beach, to safety briefings and post-swim warm drinks, every detail is intentional.
A qualified lifeguard and volunteer supports the group each week. But so do the participants themselves. As Ellie says:
"Cold water brings people to life. But it is the group that helps them to live."
The result is powerful: many graduates continue swimming weekly, travelling for hours to stay connected. They've formed "The Whole Shoal" and stay connected on WhatsApp, organising their own dips, as well as sharing resources... What begins as therapy becomes community.
Quietly Growing Something Big
Ellie has been running Into the Blue alongside her NHS role, often unpaid and behind the scenes. Her dream is to expand the programme to other areas in a way that stays true to its roots: therapeutic, inclusive and community-led.
But any charity work always brings pressure. More participants mean more sessions, more kit, more funding and more emotional labour. Skilltec is proud to be working with Ellie to explore sustainable ways to support and hopefully grow Into the Blue.
The Bigger Picture
Skilltec’s CEO David, who has his own cancer diagnosis, credits Into the Blue with helping him rebuild mentally and physically. He says:
"Into the Blue helped me adapt to my cancer and discover what I could still do. Which, it turns out, was much more than I feared."
On 25 September, David and others will be swimming around Burgh Island - a goal they have set themselves as a group, but David wants to use this swim as an opportunity to raise funds for the charity and has set himself a personal target to raise £1,500 for the charity.
How You Can Help
If you believe in this kind of quiet, powerful support for people with cancer, we invite you to either:
Get in touch. If cancer has touched your life and you think cold water swimming could help, we would love to connect you to the group.
Support David’s Crowdfunder. Every donation helps keep the programme afloat. You can read his story and CONTRIBUTE HERE.
Into the Blue is not a charity that shouts; it's not on social media, and it doesn't promote itself. But the waves it makes are real. And with the right support, we at Skilltec hope that those waves can reach further...
This article is part of our series: “From the Inside Out: Stories That Shape Skilltec” - exploring the culture, connections and community that make us who we are.