The Wellbeing Hour The Merthyr Mermaid Mentality with Cath Pendleton

Join us with Cath Pendleton as the first guest speaker of 2025 on the ‘Wellbeing Hour’ podcast.

Cath Pendleton, known as “The Merthyr Mermaid,” is an accomplished open water and ice swimmer from Wales. She holds a Guinness World Record for the Most Southerly Ice Swim (female), achieved by becoming the first person to swim an ice mile inside the Antarctic Polar circle in February 2020. Her remarkable journey was documented in a BBC film titled “The Merthyr Mermaid,” which showcases ordinary people accomplishing extraordinary feats.

Cath discovered her passion for winter and ice swimming in September 2015 and has since embraced it as a means to manage her mental health. She refers to swimming as her “Reset Button” and often says, “To make Cath happy, just add cold water!” Her impressive achievements include completing the English Channel swim (both as part of a 4-person relay and solo), becoming the first Welsh woman to swim an official Ice Mile in January 2016, and representing Team GB at the 2019 World Ice Swimming Championships in Russia, where she won bronze in her age category for the 1000m event.

With 10 official Ice Miles under her belt, Cath continues to pursue new challenges and passions. She has qualified as an “SSI Ocean Mermaid” and enjoys freediving and ocean mermaiding. Cath also has aspirations to row the Atlantic in a team of four before her 60th birthday. Her adventurous spirit and dedication to inspiring others make her an excellent motivational speaker, encouraging people to try new experiences and push their boundaries.

You can watch the full documentary – The Merthyr Mermaid on BBC iPlayer 

Join us with Cath Pendleton for what promises to be a free, open and honest hour.

Photo credit: BBC One Wales and James Ponti