TWO Cumbrian open air swimmers became models for a day to show off a new range of swimsuits for a clothing company.

Boden used social media to recruit models for its campaign and open air swimmers Fay Preene, 24 and Gilly McArthur, 47, were chosen.

They travelled south to take part in a photo shoot at the Horse Shoe Lake Activity Centre in Sandhurst, Berkshire.

Fay, works for the children's charity Barnardo's as a child sexual exploitation practitioner.

She said: "

‘Most mornings I swim in Lake Windermere, the biggest lake in England. When you’re outside in such a vast, beautiful place, it reduces the scale of any problems you have. I like Boden swimwear because the designs are classic and timeless.’

Fay said: "Most mornings I swim in Windermere, the biggest lake in England. When you’re outside in such a vast, beautiful place, it reduces the scale of any problems you have. I like Boden swimwear because the designs are classic and timeless.

"It was brilliant to take part in the campaign and we truly has such a fun time producing it.

"I particularly like the ethos behind the campaign, whereby Boden wanted to use women who actually swim, of all shapes and sizes, ages and races.

"For me, the campaign has a 'real' feel to it and I think women buying the swimwear will be able to relate more to this instead of using models - who, by no question, are absolutely beautiful themselves of course.

"It spoke to all different types of women who all swim for different reasons and in different places, again, making the campaign extremely relatable."

Gilly moved to Cumbria five years ago from Scotland to be near the mountains and lakes.

She said: "As a rock climber and lover of wild places I find the sense of space and peace here quite magical."

Gilly works as a freelance illustrator, climber and meditation practitioner.

She said: "It was great to be asked to take part in the campaign because outdoor swimming and dipping is incredible for mental health, body positivity and releasing endorphins.

"The more people that can see that this is for them the better.

"Women who partake in water sports are happier than any other sport so sharing this to a wider audience via a swimwear fashion brand means some more women might want to give it a try.

"When I heard Fay was asked too I was delighted as we are friends who swim together regularly in the lakes and rivers in Cumbria and so our trip to London was great fun. We felt like two proper out of towners in the Big Smoke.

"The Boden swimwear fitted really well and was true to size, the design and colours were original and the double lining means they felt secure and comfortable."

Gilly chose Boden's Kefalonia swimsuit, featuring a signature power-mesh lining.

She said: "I swim three or four times a week, it's like meditation for me. I absolutely love the colour of the swimsuit I was wearing and the fit felt secure when I was swimming."

Georgina Hawkins, spokeswoman for Boden, said: "This is the first time Boden has cast for a brand campaign via social media.

"We wanted the campaign to capture the joy of swimming in the UK – promoting physical health and social wellbeing.

"We were looking for female swimmers across the UK and wanted to showcase our swim products on women in a local swim club environment."

To view the swimwear collection visit www.boden.co.uk