Northampton woman preparing for 15-minute cold water dip after battling with depression, weight struggles and family tragedy

A woman is preparing for a 15-minute cold water dip after a year where she has lost more than five stone and found a way to tackle the depression which was ruining her life.

Helen Knight of Northampton was at rock bottom last May, having suffered a traumatic relationship break-up.

But this wasn't the first trauma she has had to deal with in her life, having lost her teenage sister who was murdered in a Northampton park in 1988 and then losing her mum less than a year later aged just 12.

Helen has battled with depression for most of her adult life as well as struggled with her weight, and after her relationship broke down, the mum-of-two was desperate to break the cycle which was tormenting her.

Helen told this newspaper: "I was off work and it was hot so I decided to go the the river Ouse so I could keep cool.

"Unfortunately so had lots of others.

"I didn’t want to be around other people, especially as at times I couldn’t stop crying.

"I started swimming away from everyone else.

"I realised when I was in the water I felt a tiny bit better, at peace almost.

"Before long I was going every day and swimming more each time, I was sometimes swimming one to two hours at a time.

"I was morbidly obese and had given up a long time ago that I could lose weight but as I started to feel better, I also started thinking maybe if I stopped eating junk food my depression might get even better.

"I knew if I could lose even one stone maybe physically the pain in my feet, knees and back would better.

"I started losing weight and continued with the swimming.

"My depression became manageable and weight started dropping off.

"I was 17 stone and have so far lost five-and-a-half stone.

"I was size 22/24 and I’m now size 12."

When the weather turned colder, Helen switched from open water swimming to the pool, but with the country going into its second lockdown in November, she had to find another form of exercise to protect her mental health.

Lockdown was a huge struggle mentally for Helen, but when someone suggested she take up running, she downloaded the Couch to 5K app.

It wasn't easy, but she was determined to succeed as she didn't want to get as low as she had felt last May.

Helen is now running 6K and loving it, but missed the swimming so after seeing people taking dips in lakes and the sea on Facebook, she decided to get back out there despite the recent freezing temperatures.

Open water swimming has been a life-changer for Helen and she is now preparing for a sponsored dip in support of Animals In Need in Little Irchester.

Just like she built up her running, she is building up to do 15 minutes in cold water on February 15.

Helen said: "It's very exhilarating, afterwards it makes you feel so good, you have so much more energy and I feel I can conquer anything now.

"It's becoming quite addictive."

With mental health being such a big issue for many people, and even more so during the pandemic, Helen hopes her story will inspire others to try and find ways to beat it.

She said: "Before I felt like I was always going to have to live with depression and that it would always plague me, I never felt I would conquer it.

"But now that isn't the case, I don't have to live like this, I can fight it and battle it and it can be beaten."

She hopes that sharing her story may help others as well as raise money for Animals In Need, which she first heard about through dog trainer Nathan Watson.

She said: "To me, Annie from Animals In Need is like this wonder woman but doesn't realise it.

"I want to show her that I think she's amazing."

You can make a donation on Helen's JustGiving page by clicking here.

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