A HELENSBURGH woman who completed the Great Scottish Swim on Loch Lomond says the spectacular surroundings were the key to her success.

Karen Graham completed the one-mile course in the company of two team-mates, Gemma Dixon and Jonathan Haswell.

Along with a fourth team member, Andy Parr, who completed the Great North Swim in June, the group were raising money for the mental health charity MIND in memory of their late friend, TV cameraman Chris Buchanan.

Through online sponsorship the quartet have raised more than £5,000, including Gift Aid contributions, as a result of their efforts.

Karen told the Advertiser: “This was my third year doing the Great Scottish Swim, but it was the others' first go at open water swimming.

“Coming out of the water was such a great feeling – the atmosphere was brilliant and Loch Lomond is such a wonderful place to do it. At one point I was actually lying on my back, treading water and enjoying the view!

“The reason we did it, for Chris, made it really special.

“My husband, Robin, and I went on a swim to Inchmurrin and back last week. I looked at him and said 'why do we do this?' and he said he knew why from the look on my face.

“He told me 'I never see you so elated as you are when you come out of the water'. And that's it – it's a great feeling.”

Though Karen – a TV floor manager who has worked on outside broadcasts of major events such as the Great North Run, the World Athletics Championships and the Proms – is now a bit of an 'old hand' at open-water swimming, having completed the event on Loch Lomond in 2015 and 2016, her team-mates Gemma and Jonathan were both novices before the mile-long swim.

“I told them that the first 100 metres can be a bit of a bun fight, but that the important thing was to stay calm,” she said.

“The very first time I tried open water swimming was just before the 2015 event, when Robin and I went for a short swim from Luss.

“It was really choppy and very windy, and I remember bursting into tears in the car afterwards.

“But on the day of the event the weather was so calm, and again last year and this year it was just as beautiful.

“After our first time we were both hooked. The atmosphere of the event is fantastic – everyone is so encouraging and there's something really special about Loch Lomond. Why wouldn't you want to go for a swim there?”

Karen's first two Great Scottish Swim attempts were undertaken to raise money for research into Alzheimer's disease in memory of her late father, who suffered from dementia but who taught Karen to swim when she was young.

This year she and her team-mates chose to raise funds for MIND, the mental health charity which provides support, help and advice ensuring that no-one should have to face a mental health problem alone.

“I did one mile this year,” she said, “and Robin did two.

“It took me 50 minutes – Robin did two miles in just under an hour, but because I was doing it as part of a team I didn't set myself a time target. It was more important to us to swim together.

“Gemma and I swam side by side the whole way. We went in holding hands, and we came out holding hands, and when we came out to all these people clapping and cheering, it just felt great.”

Karen plans to continue supporting Alzheimer Scotland by undertaking a series of other physical challenges – but she's far from finished with open water swimming.

“The more people I chat to at Helensburgh's swimming pool, the more people I find who really enjoy open water swimming,” she said.

“I was incredibly self conscious about plonking myself into a skin tight wetsuit at the age of 44, but on these events there are people of all shapes and sizes and your shape and size doesn't matter.

“I find the open water swimming friends and community that I have come across are just full of encouragement and support, and I think that is fantastic.”

Karen wasn't the only Helensburgh swimmer raising money for charity at the Loch Lomond swim - Helensburgh Hockey Club player Alan Stuart raised £1,000 for Helensburgh and Lomond Carers by taking part in the event.

Alex Jackson, Great Swim Series event director said, “It’s been another incredible weekend here in Loch Lomond. Swimming in one of Scotland’s most iconic locations, against such a memorable backdrop is an amazing experience for our swimmers.

“We’d like to say a big well done to everyone who took part today and a big thanks to our fantastic safety team, lifeguards and local volunteers."