A group who take regular dips in the icy cold River Lune have helped a Morecambe mum rebuild her life after a devastating house fire.
Debs Gourlay said joining ProjectCold helped her cope with the traumatic experience of having to leave her family home for more than a year while it was being rebuilt.
Debs said the regular dips in icy cold water help her 'reset' and have done wonders for her mental and physical health during such a difficult time.
ProjectCold is run by personal trainer Jefferson Cartmell who leads regular sessions with his 'Lune Army' of cold water bathers.
He says immersion in cold water, as championed by well-known names such as Joe Wicks and Wim Hof, can have huge well-being benefits.
Debs and Jefferson visited the Beyond Radio studio to talk about ProjectCold.
LISTEN to the interview with Jefferson and Debs
Debs told the story of what happened after the fire destroyed her home in Morecambe.
"Myself and my husband had been in the house for 24 years and all of a sudden everything's gone, bar for a few photographs," she said.
"The devastation to see everything that you've ever built...the children have grown up in the house, decorations they made at school, all those things that don't necessarily have a monetary value but have significance to your life that you've built around you, had gone.
"What happens after you've got over the initial trauma, you have to deal with the practicalities of rebuilding.
"In that time, I found myself in one of the worst situations I've ever been in, in my life."
Then a friend and client came into Debs' hair salon in Torrisholme and suggested she join in a community cold water dip in the Lune on a Sunday morning.
"I went down to the river, 15 months ago, and I can count on one hand the amount of times I've missed (since then) because it resets you," she said.
"The breath work is very important. It calms you.
"We empty our minds, let the thoughts in, let them fade away, then get into the river.
"It allowed me to say, chuck at me what the week has to bring. I'm ready. I've reset. It's helped me all the way through the journey.
"Myself and my husband Ian are now back in our home and it's all rebuilt, and it looks lovely.
"The team and everybody who goes to ProjectCold have just been such a great support."
Jefferson, who co-runs BayFit gym in Lancaster, set up ProjectCold in February 2022.
He begins each session with guided breath work/meditation which he says "brings you back down to earth and grounds you" and "gets you out of hustle and bustle of daily life".
Then the group, usually around 20-30 people, get into the cold water.
"It helps our well being, mindset and overall health," said Jefferson.
"Anything below 14 degrees in optimal, the colder it gets the more difficult it is.
"The summer months is a great time to start.
"In the depths of winter we were breaking the ice on the River Lune!"
ProjectCold's catchphrase is 'Get some cold in your life!' See the video below, filmed at Christmas!
Jefferson also said safety was extremely important during cold water bathing, which is why it should be overseen by an expert.
"Being safe is paramount and that's why we're there guiding you through it," he said.
Last Thursday, the group went for a dip in Morecambe Bay during a glorious sunset on the Promenade, in slightly warmer water of around 15 degrees.
Debs and her work colleagues also did a solo dip in an ice bath outside her salon, Avella Hair and Beauty, to raise money for CancerCare as part of ProjectCold's 'Dip a Day' project earlier this year.
"People always ask 'do you do that cold water thing?'" she said.
"People are really intrigued by it.
"It's changed my life. It helps my metabolic rate. It helps my mental health. It makes me feel good about myself. And it's good for the skin!"
You can find out more about ProjectCold at their Facebook and Instagram pages.
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