This year will mark the tenth anniversary of St Elizabeth Hospice’s hugely popular Christmas Day Dip and it is set to be the most popular yet.
At 10am when the horn sounds everyone will enter the cold North Sea opposite Manning’s Amusements on Sea Road, Felixstowe.
Last year over 450 people took up the sponsored challenge to raise money for the Hospice and around 500 dippers are expected this year to help celebrate ten years of thrills and chills.
The first Christmas Day Dip took place in 2003 in supporter Peter Burt’s swimming pool in his garden with just seven people.
Registration was officially launched for this year’s event on November 5th by Mr Burt and nine other hardy souls who tested the water at Felixstowe in preparation for the festive challenge.
Mr Burt said: “My father was cared for by the Hospice and after the fantastic care and support they gave him and us as a family, I wanted to raise money for them. Ten years ago it started in the swimming pool in our garden and I’m extremely proud that it’s still going strong and growing year on year.”
St Elizabeth Hospice’s Events Fundraiser Emily Sullivan said: “Christmas is a lovely time of year to give something back and remember a loved one. We hope this year’s dip will raise over £40,000 to help us to continue to support people in East Suffolk and South Norfolk who have a progressive illness and their families.”
The registration fee is £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. To sign-up for the Christmas Day Dip, click here to register online.
If you can’t make the Christmas Day Dip, why not start the New Year with a splash and sign up for the Hospice’s New Year’s Day Dip at 10.30am on Wednesday 1st January at Gorleston.
This year’s event was launched on November 4th by patients, nurses and volunteers from nearby St Elizabeth Hospice’s Day Care in Gorleston, all sporting party hats and party poppers.
St Elizabeth Hospice Events Fundraiser Leanne Carhart said: “The New Year is a good time to take on a new challenge and we hope lots of people will join us to help raise money for St Elizabeth Hospice to continue to provide local Hospice care free of charge for local people.”
As well as day care at Gorleston, St Elizabeth Hospice provides inpatient beds in Ditchingham and Ipswich, day care at Beccles and Ditchingham and Ipswich as well as services at home. It also provides support at the Louise Hamilton Centre in Gorleston.
The registration fee for the New Year’s Day Dip is £5 per person and participants are asked to raise sponsorship. To sign-up online, please click here.