Each week, ex- Scottish sports star Scott Hastings returns to swim in the coastal area where his wife Jenny ended her life.
He says the practice offers him comfort and enables him to carry on her memory by adopting her love for swimming.
Just over a year ago, the 60-year-old disappeared in the water at Wardie Bay after taking a swim. She was found in the region days later.
"I miss Jenny daily," he shared. "She had an incredible bond with others and probably focused on other people's health rather than her own mental health."
They trusted the therapeutic benefits of physical activity and even organized outdoor fitness sessions for their local community during lockdown.
On the day of her disappearance in last year, Jenny had been seen by a mental health practitioner after her condition took a turn for the more severe.
He had arranged to meet her in the later that day for a swim session in the local waters at her favourite spot in Wardie Bay.
In her difficult periods, he said it was a "place of healing" for her.
But when he realised he did not spot her and instead spotted her safety equipment tethered close by, he called the emergency services for help.
Jenny's body was located five days later, on the their wedding anniversary.
Jenny had lived with depression for two decades before she died, and Scott said there had been several previous incidents before.
Going back to Wardie Bay has become a regular practice and gives Scott space to remember the couple's 45 years relationship.
"Knowing that we enter the water where she took her final swim, it's very thought-provoking and resonant," he said. "I won’t hide the fact that it's tough at times."
Now more than a twelve months after Jenny passed, his ex- Edinburgh Rugby teammate Iain Sinclair is taking on an exceptional challenge to collect funds in her memory.
He begins an effort at traversing the lengthy stretch of the Caledonian Canal which links the North Sea and the western ocean.
Iain is the initial individual to try to navigate the canal which cuts across the Highlands, from the western shore at a town near a location to the east coast at the city.
This means, he will be in the cold water of the canal, which connects constructed channels and freshwater lochs, each day for up to several hours.
He stated Jenny had "courageously battled" her personal struggles and motivated many through her love of outdoor swimming—"an activity she excelled in."
Although other individuals have completed separate lakes along the route, Iain has been given special permission from the authorities to pass through all of the canal gates.
"In my view it'll just be about keeping the physique in good condition," he said. "At my age, not 28, and I think trying to do 10km—like a marathon swim—everyday for the next week and a half will be the demanding part."
A portion of the funds collected will be given to a mental health charity, in honor of Jenny.
Additionally, he is raising money for Crohn's disease and colitis, following his own serious health issues, and for the British Heart Foundation after the sudden death of his close friend Colin Maguire.
He will be supported by a support team which includes Scott, who said he might jump in to accompany him for a short distance along the way.
"I think it's great because it raises greater attention," said he. "He's been an inspiration for me and it's just taking that legacy forward."
"Jenny would have adored to have seen him doing what he's undertaking and would be so proud of him. I look forward to get onto the support vessel to support him."
