The recent cold snap has done little to deter brave supporters of St Elizabeth Hospice from signing-up to run into the cold North Sea off Felixstowe to raise as much money as possible.
Over 270 people have already registered for the charity’s mass participation sponsored Christmas Day Dip and are eagerly waiting to take part in this hugely well-supported annual event. With sign-up numbers already looking strong, up to 500 people are expected to take part.
With anticipation for the big day building, some Hospice supporters have been made to wait a little longer than others.
Thomas Boyt, of Shotley Close in Felixstowe, has been waiting for more than two years to reach the minimum age for taking part and he is now urging other people to sign up.
He turned 13, the minimum participation age, on December 3rd this year, and has been inspired to take the plunge and fundraise for the Hospice by his grandmother Pat’s battle with cancer. While his Pat’s cancer has gone into remission, Thomas would like to do something to help people not as fortunate as her.
Thomas, who lives in Felixstowe and is a pupil at Felixstowe Academy, said: “I will still have my grandmother this Christmas, but I know this time of year must be very difficult for people who aren’t so lucky. St Elizabeth Hospice does a lot of good work to help both people who are very ill and their families, so I want to do something to help them.”
Emily Sullivan, the Hospice’s Fundraising Event Officer, said “Stories such as Thomas’s show that there is a huge range of reasons why people take part in the Christmas Day Dip and support the Hospice.”
“Some people get involved in memory of a loved one, while others are just looking for an exhilarating way to start the day. The number of people to pre-register for this event has already smashed previous records, so we’re expecting a great atmosphere on the day.”
Registration costs just £5 per person and participants are asked to raise sponsorship. Participants can opt to pay £10 to register and receive a Christmas Day Dip T-shirt.
Last year the event raised around £40,000 for St Elizabeth Hospice, an independent charity which costs £8.7 million a year to run to provide local services to local people free of charge, with around three quarters of that figure coming from the local community.
Register online at http://www.stelizabethhospice.org.uk/events/2484/Christmas-Day-Dip until 5pm on Sunday 23rd December. Registration on the day will be open from 8.30am in front of Manning’s Amusements, Sea Road, Felixstowe.
For more information, contact the fundraising team on 01473 723600 or by email at fundraising@stelizabethhospice.org.uk.
If you would rather take the plunge on New Year’s Day, why not sign up for the Hospice’s January 1st dip in the sea off Gorleston