Telford mother publishes book on cold water swimming with help of Ice Man Wim Hof

Jay Charlton took up cold water swimming in the summer lockdown of 2021 inspired by a Russell Brand podcast about the benefits of cold exposure for both the body and mind.

She loved it so much she encouraged her family to join her including her son, Idan.

Now the fashion designer has written a children's book - Wim's Ice Odyssey - to show them how to enjoy the hobby in a safe way.

And the foreword to her book has been written by none other than TV's Dutch 'Ice Man' Wim Hof.

Jay says teaching children how to swim safely in open water is an important life skill and proper education is as vital as teaching children about road safety.

Apprehensive at first about wild swimming with fish and geese, Jay joined a group of friends to swim in Simpsons Pool in Horsehay.

Her fears soon subsided and her swims became daily. Hooked, she swam throughout the seasons, including on Christmas day in temperatures as low as 3c.

"Feeling increased wellness within myself I wanted to get all my loved ones swimming too, including my then six-year-old son.

"He was scared of being in the cold, so I looked for a story book to help explain the how’s and why’s of cold water swimming in a child focused way.

“There were lots of books on the health benefits and science behind it but nothing he’d relate to”, she said.

"So I decided to take the plunge and write one myself."

Inspired by the extreme cold athlete Wim Hof, the story is about an adventure treasure trail with a surprising ending that empowers children as it takes them on a journey of self-discovery.

Jay teamed up with artist Steve Hutton who saw the vision in her head and did the illustrations for the book. She sent off a rough copy of her manuscript to Wim Hof who loved what he saw, said it had "great importance" and wrote the foreword for her book.

Wim’s Ice Odyssey is Jay’s first book in her new children’s series aimed at inspiring children and adults to try cold immersion be it wild swimming or regular cold showers and feel its benefits for themselves, the book includes information on how to do wild swimming safely, method and tips based on her personal experience of open water swimming.

You can learn more about the book and pre-order a copy at wimsiceodyssey.com.