Christmas Day swimmers dive into freezing British waters for charity
Swimmers raising money for charity dressed up as Santa, snowpeople and elves
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Seven years ago, six people charged into the sea at Boscombe Pier in Bournemouth.
This year, around 600 made the now-traditional dash on Christmas morning in order to raise tens or thousands of pounds for a Macmillan Cancer unit, with thousands more remaining on the beach to watch the spectacle.
“It started seven years ago with just six of us. We all charged in on the spur of the moment just for a bit of fun and it’s spiralled out of control from there,” organiser Tom Baker told the Bournemouth Echo.
Those raising money for charity dressed up as Santa, snowpeople and elves. The inspiration for the event was Tom’s uncle, John White, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2008.
Also on the beach taking a festive dip were Bournemouth Spartans, who have marked Christmas Day every year since 1951 by heading into the icy water for a swim.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments