BBC Presenter Rena Annobil Reflects on Swimming Journey Ahead of Charity Challenge

BBC radio presenter Rena Annobil has shared insights into her “love-hate” relationship with swimming, ahead of her participation in a significant challenge for Children in Need. Annobil hosts her program, which highlights South Asian art, culture, and music, on Monday nights across BBC Local radio stations in the South and South East. Based in Berkshire, she is part of a five-member team from BBC Radio Berkshire undertaking the Thousand Mile Challenge for Children in Need. However, Annobil previously experienced a period of several years during which she refrained from swimming. She stated: “I was a bit of an overweight kid, always picked last for teams and I was very conscious of being seen in a swimming costume. “I think back now and think, why did that make me stop swimming for years? “It shouldn’t have but that’s what happened – I didn’t go for years because of that and I just needed the right swimming costume.” Annbil suggests that the situation has evolved, with an increased availability of choices. She commented: “If you’re someone who wears a hijab, for example, you can get swimwear that covers you, you can go to women’s-only sessions if you feel more comfortable doing that.”There are options and I don’t want anyone to feel like that anymore, that swimming’s not for me.” Annbil has been preparing for the challenge, an initiative where BBC radio stations across the UK will collectively swim 1,000 miles. Each station’s team aims to complete 24 miles between November 4 and 8. She remarked: “I think what I have is stamina, I can just keep going. “It doesn’t look pretty but I can go for quite a long time.” Data indicates a considerably lower participation rate in swimming among individuals from black, Asian, and minority ethnic backgrounds. Sport England figures show that approximately 95% of black adults and 93% of Asian adults in the UK do not swim. Annbil attributes the historical lack of swimming proficiency within the South Asian community to several factors, though she notes a shift is occurring. She explained: “I think for people of my generation there was an affordability thing, like our parents just came here and there wasn’t the time or money for swimming lessons. “But now I think south Asian people are much more aware of the importance of swimming and sport, so more parents are putting their kids into lessons. “Also, depending on what your religious background is, you wouldn’t want to be seen in a swimming costume in a mixed gender setting so I think that was a barrier as well, and that’s why I think it’s amazing that different kinds of swimwear is out there and it’s amazing there are women-only sessions you can got to, and I just feel more people need to be aware of those.” Annbil, a mother of three daughters, eagerly accepted the opportunity to join the swim team and raise funds for Children in Need. She also expressed a desire to convey a message to her children. “I want them to know that their mum might not be the greatest swimmer in terms of technique but I’m taking on the challenge and I’m just going to push myself, and it’s never too late to do that,” she stated. Annbil has also discussed the forthcoming challenge and her training with her radio audience, expressing hope that it might motivate some listeners to try swimming themselves. “I would absolutely love it if anything that I said or did or my content of my show inspired other people to take up swimming – I think that would be amazing,” she concluded. The BBC Radio Berkshire swimming team consists of Rena Annobil, Phil Mercer, Sali Shobowale, Katherine Bett, and Ben Pritchard. Rena Annobil’s program airs on Mondays from 19:00 to 22:00. For updates, BBC Dorset can be followed on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), or Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external sites. Further information on their approach to external linking is available.