Exploring Menopausal Women-Led Climate Action through Participatory Action Research with Cold Water Dipper

This project adopts a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach to explore the climate action and wellbeing practices of menopausal women who engage in cold-water dipping in the Yorkshire Dales. While the benefits of cold or wild water dipping have been widely recognised - ranging from stress relief and calmer minds to a deepened connection with nature - the increased popularity of the activity raises concerns about the environmental impact on fragile natural sites.

The project works with the Dip & Dales Co., a cold-water dipping community, to explore their interaticons with nature and support their transition into environmental stewards - Guardians of the Falls.  Using my Parsons Climate Praxis Model, participants will gain an understanding of the environmental impacts of their activities while also being empowered to take action and educate wider cold-water dipping communities.

Project Methodology

The project will recruit fifteen women through the Dip & Dales Co. community, to take part in a series of three workshops focusing on lived-experience, environmental knowledge and exploration and action planning:

• Workshop 1 - Trust and Lived Experience (May 2025)

• Workshop 2 - Walking the Land and Environmental Impacts (September 2025)

• Workshop 3 - Action Planning and Stewardship (October 2025)

Impact & Outputs

The proposed outputs will be:

Creation of Educational Resources

• A participant-led educational outreach toolkit for the cold-water dipping communities.

• A short educational documentary capturing the research process and findings, led by Dip & Dales Co.

Social Media Campaign

• Raising awareness of sustainable cold-water dipping practices through Dip & Dales social media pages.

Long-term Citizen Monitoring

• Participants will continue to track environmental changes at dipping sites, ensuring sustainability.

Participatory Action Research outcomes

• Participants will go on a journey where they will come up with their own questions to answer to help them understand how these spaces and practices are helping their health and wellbeing.