Record number of festive swimmers expected to flood Helen’s Bay on Christmas Eve

A record number of festive swimmers are expected to flood Helen’s Bay tomorrow for the annual charity Christmas Eve dip — hoping to feel refreshed in time for Santa coming later that night.

This is the seventh year that the event has been organised by cold-water swimming group, Helen’s Baywatch, and one of its founding members, Gillian Armstrong, is encouraging as many people as possible to join them — baubles and all — with nearly 1,000 people thought to be heading to North Down for the initiative.

“We did inherit the idea from another group of people, and I think in total the annual festive dip has been running for 30 years, and it was handed over to us seven years ago.

“We’ve raised money for all different charities through the dip, but in the last two years, we have chosen PIPS Suicide Prevention and Marie Curie, as they seem to really resonate with people.

“Our group votes for what charities they want to support each year and those two have frequently come up tops. I think PIPS, with being associated with mental health, is something an awful lot of people can relate to, and with Marie Curie’s cancer care, again a lot of people in the group have had experience with needing their services. We’re very happy to support them both.

“There’s growing research that cold water swimming and being out in nature is really beneficial for our mental health. That, plus the community of cold water swimmers who are really supportive; it’s a big help to a lot of people, myself included.

“When we first arranged this ourselves, there were maybe between 100 and 150 people coming along, but last year it really exploded. There were up to 800 people that came, and we don’t really know what to expect anymore. Everyone broke into spontaneous Christmas carolling last year too, it really is a lot of craic.

“We’re hoping for a similar number for sure.”

The Helen’s Baywatch group is open to anyone and everyone, as is their Christmas Eve dip.

The swimmers usually meet at the beach every Sunday morning at 10.30am and tomorrow, things will kick off at 10.15am with a warm-up led by Cal Brennan, a local business owner and founder of Sole Movement and Lifestyle Gym in east Belfast, who will make sure that everyone has their heart rates up and muscles ready for the aquatic dash at 10.30am.

It’s recommended to arrive early, park at Crawfordsburn Country Park if you are able to, and to walk along the coastal path to Helen’s Bay, as parking directly beside the beach is very limited.

Organisers have also recommended wearing your festive best; Santa hats, tinsel, baubles, antlers, and red swimsuits to keep within the ‘Baywatch’ theme.

“The wackier and more creative, the better,” Gillian continued.

“I even think we have someone coming as the Grinch.”

Also be sure to bring warm layers for after your dip, a hot drink to warm up, and a sweet treat to refuel.

“Loads of people have been introduced to swimming in the sea through us and we are still being introduced to new faces every week, which is brilliant,” Gillian added.

“Christmas can be really stressful. People can get taken over by all the pressure with all the shopping, getting lots of gifts and feeling like they need to see loads of people. It can be a really overwhelming time of year, and I think our dip gives people a chance to get out of the house, do something really silly, raise some money and have a really alternative Christmas experience.

“It’s something people really look forward to and it’s become a great tradition.”

There’ll be donation buckets on the day for cash contributions, QR codes for quick digital giving, or you can donate online now via the links below:

• PIPS JustGiving page
• Marie Curie JustGiving page