Hardy swimmers brave the cold at Chasewater County Park
The icy waters of Chasewater Country Park were taken to by a hardy bunch of charity swimmers.
The Boxing Day Charity Dip is an event which since its inception in 2015 has become an annual tradition for swimmers of all ages.
Despite poor weather conditions, the event, which was organised by Chase Open Water Swimming, saw more than 40 people take to the water for a brisk, post-Christmas swim.
Those taking part came in a mixture of costumes, with some donning full wetsuits and caps, while other, braver swimmers dived in wearing just trunks and swimming costumes.
There was also a collection bucket alongside for those taking part and all spectators to donate to, with all proceeds going to Dementia UK.
Lynn Powell, who helped to organise the event with her husband Anthony, spoke about what brings people to take part in this sort of event.
She said: "I think it's because of the excitement and the fact that people see it as a bit of a challenge.
"There's a lot of people who do open water swimming for fun and they enjoy it for the mental and physical challenge, but we do have a lot of people doing it for the first time."
There was also a charity water ski from volunteer Laura Middleton, who was raising funds for the Dystonia Society, a cause close to her heart as her partner Chloe suffers from the condition.
Dystonia is a movement disorder in which a person's muscles contract uncontrollably, with contractions causing the affected body part to twist involuntarily, resulting in repetitive movements or abnormal postures.
Laura said it was something she and Chloe had had to deal with and which was not a well-known condition as only 1 per cent of the world's population suffer from it.
She said: "This is why I have chosen this charity to raise funds to help with further research and help support those living with this condition."
Laura has set up a JustGiving page for her fundraising. For more information, click here.
