THOUSANDS of swimmers will descend on Windermere this weekend, as the UK’s biggest open water swim returns.

More than 5,000 swimmers from across the country are expected at Brockhole this weekend for the Great North Swim, which takes place over three days from Friday, June 10 to Sunday, June 12.

The event caters for all ages and abilities across a variety of distances - from 250m to a marathon 10K open water challenge.

Sue Radford, the mum of Britain’s biggest family, will be taking part in a one-mile swim, today, alongside a TV crew filming for her show 22 Kids and Counting.

Held in the stunning surroundings of the Lake District National Park, the Great North Swim is a great day out and the popular event village at Brockhole will include a big screen to watch all the action, exhibitor stands, pop-up food stalls, music, and a bar.

As well as a BBQ at the Garden Shed, a vintage fish and chip van, the Yardies Jamaican street food, Super8 Pizza, and Earthword Kitchen, the beer tent in the main spectator area will be serving a selection of local Lakes beers and celebratory prosecco.

Despite preparations being well underway organisers have issued a warning that adverse weather conditions could have an effect on the event this weekend and have already taken the difficult decision to cancel the Great North SwimRun, scheduled for Saturday.

Event Director, Colin Murphy, said: “The weather forecast for this weekend shows some challenging conditions, with strong winds across Windermere that could result in some choppy water.

“As always, the safety and wellbeing of participants is our number one priority, and if the conditions or forecast worsens, we may need to make changes to the timetable.

“We have taken the difficult decision to cancel the SwimRun given the complexity and challenging nature of the event but at present the swim-only programme will go ahead as planned.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and communicate any changes via text, email and social media if we need to, so please stay connected ahead of your swim.”

For more information on the event and to stay up to date with plans for the weekend, visit greatswim.org.