With Christmas out of the way and a new year almost upon us, why not step into 2005 by joining Saundersfoot's band of brave bathers and celebrate New Year's Day with a dip in the briny. This must-see occasion begins at 11.30 am on January 1, and if you're bold enough to take part and aren't too hung-over from the previous night's celebrations, then sponsorship forms are available from In-Strand, Evans, and local public houses. Last year's event saw the best-ever turnout, with 544 brave bathers taking the plunge, and a total of £19,500 raised towards Macmillan Cancer Relief, Myrddin Special Needs Unit - Carmarthen, Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Leukaemia, Diabetes Wales, Air Ambulance Wales, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Cancer Research, NSPCC, Barnardos and the RNLI, as well as swimmers' individually chosen charities. Participants of the swim are able to nominate who they would like to receive sponsorship. Many of the dippers traditionally don fancy dress costumes, with swim regulars always trying to outdo each other in the creativity stakes, adding a splash of colour to the event. Last year saw Saundersfoot CP School enter the event as a huge Chinese dragon, but if you thought that was spectacular, then prepare yourself for this year's fancy dress theme, for staff, pupils, parents and friends of the school will take to the sea dressed as a parade of penguins, with nearly 200 expected to turnout in costume. BBC Wales are also due to film the event for broadcast. Chairman of the Saundersfoot Festivities Association, Mr. Martyn Williams, is again hoping to outdo last year's swim. "We had an absolutely fantastic day last year, with suitable weather and more participants than ever; the whole village was packed out, and we are hoping to do even better again this year," he said. "There are a lot of high spirits on the day and the most important thing is to turn up, dress up and have a good time. "There won't be a bonfire this year, but we're hoping that there will be a drop of single malt Scotch whisky for every swimmer to warm them up, courtesy of one of the sponsors, Old Pultney," he added. As ever, there will be medals for all the swimmers who take part. This year they will be presented by chairman of the Wales Tourist Board, Mr. Phillip Evans, and Zoe Snell, marketing manager of Oakwood, whose special charity for the event this year is Motor Neuron Disease. Westcoast Fireworks will be starting off proceedings with a bang, so dog-owners are warned to keep them under control. "It would be great to kick-off the New Year with another record-breaking fund-raising effort in aid of people less fortunate than ourselves," added Mr. Williams. "It's a lot of fun, with plenty of entertainment before and afterwards, so why not come along and join us for a good cause and make this a New Year's Day to remember."
