Tenby's brave Boxing Day bathers have tuned up to raise nearly £11,000 for charities and good causes from their most recent festive dip.

With a 'Seasonal Songs' theme for the event, there were plenty of musical moments on the North Beach from the 506 swimmers, whose numbers were boosted by a further 25 who splashed out in Virginia, USA.

The event - organised by the Tenby Sea Swimming Association and sponsored by FBM Holidays - has grown to be ranked as one of Britain's top festive highlights.

"And we have hopes that this Christmas's 40th anniversary event - The Big Red Swim - will be the biggest, best and most colourful ever," said TSSA chairman, Chris Osborne, at last Thursday's presentation evening.

He recalled last December's swim, where blue skies made a welcome appearance in between hail and rain and the sea temperature was a chilly seven degrees.

The huge crowd of spectators - entertained by canoe, dinghy and raft races, as well as a police helicopter flypast and lifeboat launch - contributed over £2,000 to the bucket collection.

One award-winner with a good reason to be absent from Thursday's presentation was adventurer and swim stalwart Rosie Swale Pope, as she is currently forging her way through a 27-marathon challenge, which starts and finishes in Tenby. She was awarded the shield for being the highest-sponsored swimmer for TSSA charities with her collection of £152.

The Idris Morgan Cup for the highest sponsorship achievement overall went to Jane Hewitt, who raised £800 for Spittal Church and the British Heart Foundation, while nine-year-old Christopher Moir-Coe, of Pennar, again won the Sue Lane Trophy for the highest-sponsored junior swimmer, after raising £365 for the Tusk Trust and the 3rd Pembroke Cubs.

The Goscar Oscar for the top sponsored group went to Paul, Lenny and Sue Barrett, who raised £1,912 for the Heath Hospital, Cardiff.

There were also a number of other superb fund-raising efforts, which were rewarded with Brass Monkey awards for groups and certificates for individuals raising over £100.

The five headline charities chosen by TSSA - Pembrokeshire Stroke Club, The Hope Multiple Sclerosis therapy centre at Neyland, Pembrokeshire Special Needs Gymnastics Club, Ty Hafan Children's Hospice and Leukaemia Research, Tenby and district branch - each received £450, while there was £100 each for the organisations who contribute to the smooth running of the swim - St. John Ambulance, Tenby Surf Lifesavers, Tenby Coastguards, Tenby RNLI and Pembrokeshire Paddlers.

• All unclaimed awards and certificates can be collected from the Fourcroft Hotel, Tenby. For a sponsor form for the 2010 Tenby Boxing Day Big Red Swim, or to see pictures from last year's event, visit http://www.tenbyboxingdayswim.co.uk">www.tenbyboxingdayswim.co.uk