A group of brave swimmers gritted their teeth and raced into the sea at Brean for a New Year’s Day swim in aid of local charities.
The nine fun-loving swimmers, who were dressed in colourful swimwear, took a dip in the Bristol Channel to raise funds for three local causes – the Neo Natal Unit at Taunton’s Musgrove Hospital, BARB, the charity behind Burnham-On-Sea’s rescue hovercraft service, and the RNLI.
While the group was fortunate to have unseasonally mild temperatures and only light winds, the water temperature of just eight degrees drew a few grimaces from the plucky swimmers as they raced into the sea!
Organiser Jackie McCollum told Burnham-On-Sea.com the sponsored event had attracted “superb support” from businesses and residents in Brean and she explained why the swim also had an extra special meaning for her.
“My grandchild died after a premature birth, so we wanted to do something for the Neo Natal Unit. She weighed just 1lb 3oz at birth and survived for five days, but could not be saved so this event was very important for my family and I.”
“We also wanted to raise money for two other excellent local causes – BARB, the charity that runs Burnham’s rescue hovercrafts – and the RNLI which do such a great job in this area.”
She said more than £600 had been raised so far from the event, with further money still coming in from supporters.
