A PAIR of fairies and a couple of men in women's clothes were among the brave souls who saw in the New Year by jumping into Windermere.

The annual dip event proved as big a draw as ever with the crowds, who swarmed around the floating jetties at Bowness to watch the 40 or so jumpers.

Buckets passed around during the dip were filled with £822 in cash, while jumpers raised another £200 in sponsorship, which is all going to Derian House Children's Hospice at Chorley.

Some jumpers were being sponsored for other charities, and at least one raised an impressive £1,000 for his good cause.

The 2005 New Year's Day dip was the fifth to be organised by Gill Gardner, who is stepping down. She has taken over the Hope and Anchor pub at Flookburgh and felt she would now be too far removed from the event to arrange it successfully.

Eric Furey, and his wife, Kathy, have agreed to take over running the dip, while Gill Gardner, who also started a round-Piel-Island swim, is looking for a new charity event to organise in the Flookburgh area.

"I would like to say a big thank you to everybody who has taken part and helped over the last five years, making this event amazingly enjoyable," she said.

She explained why she chose Derian House as this year's beneficiary: "I thought I have never done anything for children."

She said that she started worrying about the organisation of the dip a week before, but found that there was generally little to be concerned about. She enjoyed jumping in herself, because of the satisfaction of knowing she had done it.

This year's jumpers found the water relatively warm compared to previous years' icy conditions.

"It's cold, absolutely fantastic, superb, and got rid of my hangover," was the reaction of first-time jumper John Reed, together with his friend Rory Hogan, from Liverpool, who jumped while smartly attired in shirts and bow-ties.

The pair, who had seen the dip during visits to the Lakes, raised £1,000 for Children in Need through Masonic charities.

"That was lovely," said Windermere man Daniel Blenkharn, who with his friend, Jaron Hayton, of Staveley, was jumping in women's clothes to raise up to £500.

"We always do come in fancy dress every year, and we were a bit pushed for time so we thought we will get women's clothes," said Mr Blenkharn.

"It wakes you up, gets rid of your hangover and it's for a good cause."

British Long Distance Swimming Association president Gill Stables, from Troutbeck Bridge Swimming Club, said the dip was "brilliant" and she had had the ideal training experience during the traditional 100 yards Christmas Day swim in the Serpentine.

With his inflatable guitar and sunglasses, David Welham from Sussex made an impressive would-be rock star.

"We came last year, saw people jumping in and thought we would jump in this year," he said.

Fairies Cathy Bateman and Siska Dennison, both from Windermere, were kick-starting fund-raising for their trip to Tibet for Scope in September.

On emerging from the lake, Siska Dennison said: "It's good cold though".