Hardy souls in trunks and fleeces stood shivering by the shores of Windermere on New Year's Day for one of the nippiest fund-raising events on the calendar.

Nervous laughter rang out over The Glebe, Bowness, as the layers came off and brave bathers took the plunge into the icy waters of the Lake District's largest lake.

The third successive New Year's Day Dip saw crowds of post-party revellers, wide-eyed tourists and cheering "coaches" urging the swimmers to make the leap into the dark waters, all in the name of CancerCare.

As seasoned dipper and landlord of the Mariners Coxn's Cabin, Steve Walsh, emerged from the water, he told The Westmorland Gazette: "It's lovely in there. I might go back and do it again. It takes your breath away when you dive in, but it's nice afterwards. I'm as warm as toast."

Other pub staff braving the elements included Mike Lafferty, also of the Mariners, and Steven Pye and David Cooper, of The Stags, Bowness.

Costumed Santas, women in knickers and a chap in a pink ski suit and England flag bombed, dived and leapt their way into the water, all emerging red-faced and gasping to cheers and applause.

Visitors from Somerset and Turkey even opted to embrace the event but the morning's show-stoppers were youngsters Brogan-Rae Anderson, 12, and Kelsey Thomason, ten, of Dalton, who plucked up the courage to jump in hand-in-hand.

"It was a lot better than I thought it was going to be," said a shivering Brogan-Rae as she headed for the changing tent swathed in a towel.

The event, masterminded by Gill Gardner, of the Kirkstone Pass Inn, saw more than 30 bathers and hordes of spectators donate more than £850 to charity, bringing the event's fund-raising total to more than £4,000 over the last three years.

"I never dreamed, when we first started this, that it would turn out to be so popular," said Ms Gardner.

January 3, 2003 09:00