Sanctuary Runners, a solidarity through sport movement bringing together citizens, migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, is expanding to work with swimmers.

The initiative which works to get asylum seekers, migrants and Irish citizens out running together in a group is now working on creating a similar open water swim initiative.

Speaking to The Echo Sanctuary Runners founder Graham Clifford said it was Swim Ireland who reached out to them.

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“Sarah Keane, the CEO of Swim Ireland and the President of the Olympic Council of Ireland, she has always been very interested and supportive of Sanctuary Runners and the concept of using sport to bring people together especially asylum seekers, migrant workers and other migrants in the wider Irish community. 

"They came to us and asked how can we do this with swimming.” 

Mr Clifford said he was enthusiastically on board with the idea.

“I said it needs to be open water swimming, in the pool, you are missing out on a number of important shared experiences from being freezing and thinking this was madness to the euphoria of jumping in and dealing with the cold and doing it together.” 

SANCTUARY SWIMMERS:

In May, with our friends & partners @swimireland, we'll launch a Sanctuary Swimmers pilot group in Cork! With a special focus on sea swimming.

A gentle, culturally appropriate & compassionate approach.

More info to come! #Solidarity #Friendship #Respect pic.twitter.com/y2sK3sQoCk

— Sanctuary Runners Ireland (@SanctuaryRunner) February 16, 2022

 The Sanctuary Runners founder said the project will be very accessible.

“It will be compassionate, culturally appropriate and very gentle. My hope is that you would help people to overcome whatever views or experiences of the sea they have in their lives.” 

Mr Clifford said so far he has gotten a positive reaction to the concept.

“I didn’t know how this would fly and I started asking Irish individuals in the Sanctuary Runners do they swim, and they said no, but they would give it a go.” 

Mr Clifford said it was likely to be a six-week programme in East Cork in May.

Ashley Hunter, Swim Ireland Head of Participation said: “We are delighted to be working with Sanctuary Runners to establish an outdoor swimming programme for their members during the 2022 summer months.

“We are developing the detail of the programme and plan to launch it in the coming weeks.

“The open water swimming programme aims to support and promote the Sanctuary Runners core values of Solidarity, Friendship and Respect along with providing life swimming skills and an opportunity to further engage with the fast-growing open water swimming community for continued participation.”