Near Arctic conditions failed to deter over 400 dippers from seeing in 2002 in splashing style on Tuesday at the 18th annual New Year's Day Swim in Saundersfoot.

Despite a heavy ground frost hours earlier and some of the coldest water conditions experienced to date, 412 swimmers braved the dash to the briny to welcome in the New Year .

Parking in the village was at a premium as all routes led to the beach, with crowds packing every vantage point to watch the New Year being heralded in in traditional style.

Once again swim entrants of all ages were drawn from all sections of the community, not only from Saundersfoot, but from all over Wales, England and beyond.

Organisations and charities, sports groups, pub teams and businesses - including a contingent from the swim's main sponsors, Oakwood, led by Mr. William McNamara - lined up alongside a host of hardy individuals for whom the festive season would not be complete without a dip in the sea on January 1.

Brave bathers in the tiniest trunks and teeny-weeny bikinis lined up alongside a colourful array of imaginative fancy dress competitors, including choirboys, Vikings, Romans, Ali G and the Staines Massive and a host more.

Winner of the best individual fancy dress, judged by chairman of Pembrokeshire County Council, Clr. Mrs. Rosemary Hayes, was deputy head of Saundersfoot CP School, Mr. Mick Booth, while the group prize went to Stepaside Coachworks, who were raising money for Diabetes UK as the Blue Tit Awards.

They are in line for a Blue Tit Award themselves for team entry, along with other entrants, including The Carew Inn, Tavernspite School Nursery, Narberth CP School, Saundersfoot CP School, the RNLI, Barnardos, international referee Gareth Symmonds and his team of rugby kit bedecked swimmers, Tenby Swifts, The Royal Oak, The Buccaneer Inn, Wimpy, Chemist Inn, Captains Table, Whitland RFC, Pembrokeshire Action for Single Homeless People and the team from The Whitlow estate.

The swim was also a real family event, and there were even three generations of the Griffiths family taking part, namely grandmother Margaret, her daughter Wendy and granddaughter Sian.

With the tide well out beyond the harbour wall, the race to the sea, started by chairman of the Wales Tourist Board, Mr. Philip Evans, began from the harbour entrance.

Among some of the regular faces taking part were John Joseph, Mick Hamilton, Chris Williams and Gethin Evans, who maintained their record of not having missed a New Year plunge since the event began.

All agreed, however, that this year's dip was one of the coldest they had experienced.

"It's definitely the coldest one I've been in," commented Gethin Evans on his way back up the beach after braving the briny.

Fellow Castle View Codger Mick Hamilton, who is one Saundersfoot swim ahead of Gethin, having been among those to take part in an unofficial swim in the village on Boxing Day 18 years ago, agreed.

"It was certainly very cold, but it wasn't so much hitting the sea, it was walking down through all the other patches of water to get to the starting point," he explained. "My feet were already cold before the run started.

"The wind chill was also biting, but it's a guaranteed way to clear the head!"

Chris Williams, who was one of the five-man Post Office team taking part to raise funds for Tom Clode, the son of fellow postman Charles, who is currently undergoing treatment for leukaemia, also declared the water temperature to be "the worst yet," but hailed the swim to be one of the best ever.

"It was freezing, but absolutely brilliant," he declared. "There was an amazing turnout and it just seems to be getting better and better."

Chairman of the Saundersfoot Festivities Committee, Mr. Martyn Williams, agreed.

"What can I say, it was absolutely marvellous," he told the Observer. "There was a brilliant atmosphere on the beach and along the harbour walls. There were people as far as the eye could see. In fact, Tenby United's Mike Evans joked to me that it was the largest crowd he's ever appeared in front of!

"The village was bouncing all day long. It was a great day for the village and a cracking way to see in the New Year."

After the successful dash to the splash, the hardy swimmers huddled around a welcoming bonfire constructed by Chris Williams, Roger Hayes, Roger Stephens and Kevin Hammond, before receiving their medals from Llanelli RFC coach Gareth Jenkins and recently retired headmaster of Tenby Junior School, Mr. Peter Williams, and his wife Sue.

As usual, safety cover was provided by Tenby Coastguard, St. John's Ambulance, Dr. Iwan Griffiths and Tenby Surf Lifesaving Association, while the festivities were again compered in his own inimitable style by local DJ, Benny Bond.

Mr. Martyn Williams expressed his sincere thanks to all those who took part and all those who supported the event in any way, particularly those who provided safety cover; Jewsons for providing materiel for the bonfire; and Messrs. Michael and Richard Merriman.

Prior to the dip, the first ever annual tug-of-war tournment took place between teams from Tenby and Saundersfoot.

Judged by Gareth Symmonds, the title, the Challenge Cup donated by Charles Davies, of Heatherton, and £100 for the charity of their choice went to the team from Tenby's Buccaneer Inn who defeated a composite team from Saundersfoot's Hean, Captains Table and Royal Oak public houses and the Sports and Social Club by two pulls to one.

As well as being a spectacle to welcome in the New Year, the swim raises large sums of money for charity, and organisers are hoping for another bumper payout again this year, especially as the bucket collection during the event raised a whopping £1,958, some £400 up on last year's total.

Among the front runners in the most individual sponsorship collected is Saundersfoot school headteacher, Miss Helen Lester, who, taking the plunge dressed as the Pied Piper, has already raised over £600.

This year, the main charities being supported by the swim included Macmillan Cancer Relief, Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Leukaemia, Diabetes Wales, Air Ambulance Wales, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Cancer Research, Crossroads, Latch, NSPCC, Barnardos,and the RNLI, although some swimmers were also raising funds for the charity of their own choice.

Swimmers are urged to hand their sponsorship money into Evans Newsagents and Instrand as soon as possible so that this year's total can be calculated. Also anyone who participated in the swim as a group, but has not already been mentioned, is asked to contact Martyn Williams on (01834) 813039.

Footnote: The large banner advertising the swim was stolen from outside Saundersfoot CP School sometime on the evening of New Year's Day.

Anyone with information is asked to contact PC Ian Cowper at Tenby Police Station on 842303.