1,600 people have signed up so far for Saundersfoot New Year’s Day Swim - which as it stands, will be going ahead.
Angle and St Davids charity swims on January 1st have been called off, due to yellow weather warnings for strong winds for Wales.
Ahead of January 1st, Saundersfoot New Year's Day Swim chairman, Cllr Chris Williams said: “We are forging ahead. The forecast is not looking as bad as it was originally and we have a very low tide, which is in our favour.
“We've met with our safety team and they are happy for us to proceed as of the current forecast but we will also be meeting again with them at 10.30am on the day to make the final call.”
The Saundersfoot Swim will celebrate its 39th charity event on January 1 - when thousands will take to the sea again in fancy dress for what is sure to be another spectacular spectacle!
The event started in 1984 with just 10 swimmers and in 2024 saw a record turn out of over 2,400 swimmers with a crowd of roughly nine thousand watching as well!
The Swim has developed into an incredible spectacle and is now classed by Pembrokeshire County Council as a major event. It is also the biggest festive dip in the UK and to date has raised hundreds of thousands for charities and worthy causes over the years.
“We cannot stress enough the importance of swimmers raising monies from their personal sponsorship as this makes such a big difference annually to the supported causes,” said Chair of the NYDS, Chris Williams BEM.
“This year, NYDS are keen to help support another two amazing charities - the RNLI and Wales Air Ambulance Charity.
“Every year we have been heavily reliant on sponsors and volunteers to successfully stage the event. Every Swim takes 12 months to plan and to ensure the safety of both swimmers and spectators, there are regular meetings with the Police, Fire Brigade, PCC, St John’s and the Swim’s own H&S group of safety experts.
“To ensure, swimmers, spectators and the 100 volunteers helpers are kept safe on the day of the swim.
“As we invite people to the village to either participate or spectate, we have the responsibility of making sure that everyone enters and exits the sea safely and that the crowds around the event are safe and having a good time.”
As the responsibilities of hosting the Swim have grown, so have the costs. Previously, this event would not have been possible, without the incredible sponsorship organisers get for the NYDS shirt, as well as the financial support received from Saundersfoot Harbour and the Hean Castle Estate.
As well as providing a spectacle for the community, the main driving force for hosting the Swim is to provide people with an opportunity to raise money for worthwhile causes and raise as much money as possible.
So, to ensure that the mandatory costs for staging the swim are met, as well as to safeguard it’s future, organisers made the difficult decision to implement a £5 donation for each adult swimmer and £3 for a child (under 16 years) for the 2024 event.
“This was introduced last year and the response from the community and wider communities was incredible,” continued Chris.
“Last year we reached record numbers of swimmers which was all captured with our new registration system.”