220 people yesterday braved water temperatures of 4 degrees Celsius to take the first New Year's Day Dip at Whitwell in what's hoped to become an annual Rutland Water event.
Inspire2tri already runs weekly open water swimming lessons from May to October when water temperatures are more favourable. This event, organised by Anglian Water, saw people from those classes through to those in fancy dress head into the water: 20 minutes was the maximum time anyone was allowed in due to the cold temperature.
Angela Tobin runs the events at Rutland Water: "There's a really great buzz, yeah definitely. We've got seasoned cold water swimmers that are out there having a little bit of a paddle, been in there a little bit longer, and as you say we've got people in wetsuits, people dressed up, people just going in for literally the dip which is what it was all about."
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