A Stornoway man who is more famous for swimming across the Minch is encouraging everyone to have a dook in a bath, bin or pool in their back gardens to raise funds for the RNLI.
Colin Macleod of Stornoway, 47, is a janitor at Point Primary School on Lewis. The key worker is still involved in keeping the school clean for the children of other essential workers who require childcare.
Wild swimming is one of his favourite pastimes, but this is out of the question during lockdown.
Mr Macleod, of the Hebridean Swimmers Group, wants to see as many people has possible enjoy a dook at 7pm on Saturday May 2 – and share the fun online.
He said: “All of the fun has been stopped, we are not allowed to go swimming, so why not join our Facebook page Bathe at Home for the RNLI. People can make donations on the just giving page and we have already had more than 170 people supporting us.
“On crofts in the Western Isles and all over Scotland I know of old cast iron baths that are used to providing drinking water for cattle, chickens and sheep.
“I’ve dragged one up from my wife’s family croft and brought it to Newvalley at our croft in Stornoway, near to the hose.
“I’ve also heard of people cleaning out their wheeley bins and cooling off in there – there was a man in Fife who was in the national press doing that. Other people are making use of paddling pools – especially in this weather, which has been great.
“Not only that, but with me being a key worker, I tend to take my work clothes off in the shed then bathe in the garden to avoid bringing contamination into the house.
“That is partly where the idea came from – but it is really just a hoot. We all need a laugh at this time. It is a bit of a giggle.
“Also, living on an island, the RNLI is a charity close to my heart and I wanted to help them during these hard times.”
Last year Mr Macleod became the first man and the only islander to conquer the Minch, after touching the shore at Lemreway at 1.08am on June 11th.
He’d been swimming for 21 hours, setting out from Gairloch shortly after 4am the previous morning, and covered 33 miles of open sea.