16/06/2026
Bringing the Fun into Open water swimming and ocean advocacy.
Surfers Against Sewage Ocean Advocate Pink Nicky's Adventures
Nicky kindly agreed to be featured for my first blog of 2026, we had a fun, informal chat on the phone (probably while we were both multi-tasking)!
Having met Nicky when we were both volunteering at the Ocean Activist in Bristol earlier this year and again when I participated in her Big Swim, I knew she was someone I wanted to know more about.
I wanted to know who Pink Nicky is and how she got her rather cool nickname.
Nicky says she has always worn a lot of pink; she lives in a male heavy household and likes to bring some femininity to it. She used to be in a swim group where there were a few Nicky’s, so because of her usual pink bobble hat she became Pink Nicky, it’s kind of stuck and has now become her persona. The first time she remembers wearing a pink bobble hat is over 10 years ago when she was on a ski expedition in the arctic circle.
We talked about where the idea of The Big Swim came from and as Nicky has a habit of waking in the night bursting with good ideas, she decided she wanted to put all her favourite things together, swimming, women, Brighton beach and the sea, and so…..The Big Swim was born. It just so happens that the first time she acted on one of her crazy middle of the night ideas she ended up messaging NatWest bank to borrow their promotional bus and succeeding! (now that’s another story)!
Year on year the feel of The Big Swim has changed, with this year being a lot about ocean advocacy and surfers against sewage. Nicky is also a local rep for SAS in Brighton. This year saw record participants across two venues, a live DJ, Lifeguards and a lot of camaraderie on the beach, all to celebrate International Women’s Day.
Nicky realised while talking to me that she has been empowering women to step out of their comfort zones “forever” having run a female networking group for 15 years, before doing what she does now.
When I asked her if she had any top tips for any women wanting to become more adventurous, she spouted off a whole load of good ideas, my favourite being; Pick something big for the future and work backwards- Build up to a big adventure, with fitness, finance and friends and family, then by the time you get to your adventure, you will have the money saved, much better fitness level and the support of those around you.
For many of us who prefer smaller micro adventures instead of doing a half marathon across Greenland as Nicky has, it’s the same ethos; Want to swim in an open water race? First get to the pool, save to buy a new costume or wetsuit that you feel comfortable in, get a friend to join you, then find a coach or group of swimmers for some open water training, then hey presto before you know it, you are race ready!
Thinking about The Big Swim and Nicky’s love of water I wondered what her favourite aquatic memory is, she spoke with sheer joy in her voice as she told me of a yellow inflatable Canoe, somewhere along the river Thames, a little girl about 3 years old, sat in said Canoe, with tight blonde curly hair accompanied by her father, she says that picture will live on forever in her head, this little girl is Nicky.
Nicky quite clearly inspires many hundreds of other women, but who inspires her? Her Mum and Dad, which is what we all strive for isn’t it? Our own children to be inspired by us.
Nicky’s favourite places to swim are Croyde bay in Cornwall, as it reminds her of family holidays and Sea lanes, a remarkable 50 m open air training pool in her hometown of Brighton. I asked her to also pick an indoor venue, and she just couldn’t do it. For Nicky, swimming is all about connections and being outdoors.
Amongst supporting women, The Big Swim and being utterly fabulous, I motivated Nicky to talk about her future challenges, she conceded that her biggest challenge is yet to come, in the way of helping to navigate her children into adulthood- Christ- what an adventure!
We finished by talking about Nicky’s first and most recent adventures which were both on Tall ships. She concluded that her life has gone full circle enjoying the freedom that travelling by sea can bring, and that from that first adventure at the tender age of 18 to this one at 54, she has enjoyed helping people bring their passions and projects to life, networking and more recently adding ocean advocacy to her long list of qualities.
If you’d like to find out more about Nicky or any of her adventures then you can find info here;
Nicky Chisholm aka
Mob: 07920482380
Email:[email protected]
The Big Swim 2025
Latest Blog Post
Facebook: Nicky Chisholm
Insta: Nicky Chisholm Follow on Insta PinkNicky1 https://www.instagram.com/pinknicky1/
Website:PinkNicky
The Big Swim
https://pinknicky.com/iwd-2026/
The Big Swim Impact Report https://pinknicky.com/tbs-2026-impact-report-2026/
The Big Swim Collective
https://pinknicky.com/the-big-swim-stories/
New Project this year is The Big Swim Collective – The Big Swim Collective is a collection of 12 stories that turns The Big Swim event into a year-long movement for ocean advocacy, sharing real experiences from women taking action to protect the sea. The seed was sown on International Women’s Day 2026, when hundreds of women gathered in Brighton and Poole to enter the water and stand up for it, with banners and calls to . What started as a single event is growing into something bigger, a visible, collective voice showing that 1,200 women care.
We want to show that activism doesn’t have to be radical or intimidating. It can happen in many different ways through many different approaches, everyday actions, grounded in care, connection and a shared love for the ocean.
First featured story went live Saturday, 18th April – Meet Jo Godden from RubyMoon
Online Adventure Course
https://pinknicky.com/adventure-course/
Are you feeling like the best of life has passed you by? Want to do something new just for you, but no idea what or how to get started?
The adventure course is here to help you to exactly that. Over 6 weeks you’ll discover your inner passions, plan an adventure that excites you and be ready to take the first step.
A 6-week (6 x 1 hour) guided course for women 50+ who are ready to step into an adventure, rediscover confidence, curiosity, and a sense of what’s next.
If you’d like to get involved with Ocean advocacy or Surfers against sewage you can find info here; The Ocean Advocate Summit 2026 | Uniting Ocean Changemakers
Surfers Against Sewage - UK charity campaigning for the ocean
