Boxing Day swims prove very popular

There was fancy dress, coloured powder, oh, and water, lots of water, as thousands of people joined in Boxing Day swims across the Island.

At Ventnor, huge crowds gathered on the beach with the Carnival Association chairwoman, Teresa Preston, admitting: “I have never seen it so busy. Last year I thought there were about 1,000 here, but there was more than that.

“I was really surprised at the number of cars coming and parking up; it was mayhem. Also so many made an effort with their costumes, some were really cool.

“When I sounded the klaxon for the dip to be, hundreds of people came charging across the sands towards me; it was quite a sight!”

Money raised will go towards PATCH and the Ventnor Carnival. PATCH supports hospitals in improving palliative care and ensuring patients receive high quality palliative care if needed, when they need it, 24 hours a day seven days a week.

Teresa added: “The event has been running since the ’80s and we have carried on from there. It’s so popular because it’s for such a good charity and we have lovely sands.”

There were also huge crowds at Shanklin’s event, run by Mari Griffiths from The Salix Beach Café. Swimmers were covered in eco Holi paint powder which is often used at festivals.

Mari said: “It’s better if thrown in the air when it’s windy and people run through it, but there wasn’t much wind! But, it looks amazing and the kids loved it.

“The swim has been going on from Small Hope beach since the 1950s. We have people swimming with their kids who remember their parents doing it. It’s getting bigger and bigger every year and there is a great atmosphere.”

The event raised £410 for Shanklin and Sandown Independent Lifeboat. The coastguard was in attendance and there was music from The Silver Machine Roadshow.

There were other swims at Ryde, Seaview, Gurnard and Freshwater Bay, some for fun and some for fund-raising.

The Gurnard swim was celebrating its 10th anniversary and raised money for the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust and Arlo Lambie, a Cowes teenager, who started experiencing minor headaches in October. His condition quickly escalated into hydrocephalus (a fluid build-up in the brain) and led to neurosurgery and a diagnosis of a rare grade four brain tumour. His family have set up a JustGiving page to help raise £100,000 for his treatment.

To view the on-line gallery for this event, visit iw.observer/boxingdayswim