Hundreds of brave Boxing Day bathers defied the big December freeze to celebrate the 40th birthday of one of the UK's top festive highlights.

What was the coldest Christmas on record saw the snow on the beach almost meet the sea on Tenby's North Beach on Sunday for the town's Boxing Day Swim - renamed for its ruby anniversary as The Big Red Swim

Whilst some of the 376 dippers were courageous - some may even say silly - enough to shed their winter woollies for bikinis and swimming trunks, others joined in the fancy dress fun and a whole selection of red characters took to the briny, including two gigantic dragons, a big red bus, red devils, red arrows, ladybirds and, of course, everyone's favourite man in red - Father Christmas, who stayed in Tenby a day longer for the celebrations.

And perhaps amazingly, despite the Arctic conditions experienced in the lead up to the ever-popular event, there was some comfort for the swimmers in the fact that it was actually warmer in the sea than out!

See inside for a full report and more pictures.