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This article was published on August 25, 2026
At ERW, we are proud to support people and projects from our region that have a positive impact far beyond it.
That is why we are delighted to be sponsoring Aquatic Abyss – the remarkable story and endurance challenge of open water swimmer and cardiac arrest survivor Nick Parkes.
Nick is an accomplished open water swimmer and 10-time British Champion who has spent decades competing at the highest level.
In 2023, during an open water race, everything changed. Nick suffered a sudden cardiac arrest mid-race and was pulled from the water before receiving lifesaving CPR.
He was subsequently taken to hospital and later underwent major heart surgery, beginning a long process of recovery and rehabilitation. For many people, that experience alone would have changed their relationship with the sport forever. For Nick, it became the beginning of an extraordinary comeback.
Against the odds, he returned to open water swimming and competitive racing, proving not only the strength of his recovery, but the resilience and determination that now sit at the heart of Aquatic Abyss.
Nick is now preparing to take on his biggest challenge yet: swimming the full 22-mile length of Loch Ness.
It is an enormous endurance challenge in its own right, but given everything Nick has experienced, it carries an even greater significance. Nick is aiming to become the first cardiac arrest survivor to complete the solo swim, turning what could have been the end of his swimming career into an opportunity to inspire others and make a difference. The challenge represents survival, resilience and the determination to keep moving forward, even after the most difficult of setbacks.
Aquatic Abyss is about much more than completing an endurance swim.
It tells the story of Nick’s journey from cardiac arrest survivor back to the water, while using his experience to raise awareness and support two important charities: Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Sudden Cardiac Arrest. Both causes sit closely alongside the story behind the challenge, supporting lifesaving work, greater awareness of cardiac emergencies and the people and families affected by them. Nick’s own experience highlights just how important rapid intervention can be when cardiac arrest happens.
By sharing his story through Aquatic Abyss, he hopes to encourage more conversations around sudden cardiac arrest, recovery and the importance of lifesaving emergency support.
For ERW, this challenge also has a personal connection.
Nick is a good friend of Stuart, our Sales and Marketing Director, so his story is one that feels particularly close to home for the team. Having seen the journey Nick has been on, from a life-changing cardiac arrest to preparing for one of the toughest endurance swims in the UK, we are incredibly proud to support him as he takes on this next challenge.
As a long-established family business in the North East and North Yorkshire, supporting our wider community has always mattered to us, and Aquatic Abyss is a cause that reflects values we care deeply about: resilience, determination, community and supporting others.
We are proud to play a small part in helping Nick share his story, raise awareness and generate vital funds for Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Sudden Cardiac Arrest.
We will be following Nick’s journey as he prepares to take on Loch Ness and wishing him, his family and the entire Aquatic Abyss team the very best for the challenge.
Good luck, Nick – everyone at ERW is behind you.
Support Aquatic Abyss
You can discover more about Nick’s story, follow the Aquatic Abyss challenge and support the fundraising campaign through the official fundraising page: https://givestar.io/gs/first-cardiac-arrest-survivor-to-swim-loch-ness-solo?fbclid=IwY2xjawT6LUFwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMDBUM1RCZXk1UllscFJXVkxzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeJ64vRxPGjbY7Dm3RRMcpS5mS2YLXm0-xFzkP0H-aA26BZrIFkTbQ9xI-MRs_aem_wpJYVouInmdQx9Wj2C4NmA
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