Whitby's Boxing Day dip is back - see how you can take part

Are you crazy or brave enough to run into the North Sea on Boxing Day for charity?

It has become a tradition in Whitby to enjoy a ratherrefreshing dip in the North Sea on Boxing Day morning - a unique and memorable experience that will raise lots of money for local charities.

Fancy dress is a must for many dippers, with prizes available for the best.

In previous years, dippers have worn costumes such as dinosaurs, Batman and Robin, Christmas trees and a team of traffic cones - there was even a fancy-dress wedding proposal!

This year, due to Covid, the dip will be operated under a different format, where the participants pay a £10 entry fee directly to Whitby Lions.

Participants can still raise sponsorship for their chosen charity, with 100% of the money they raise going to the charity/organisation of their choice.

Whitby Lions will still issue a sponsor form to anyone who wants one.

However, unlike previous years the dipper will fully be responsible for distributing their sponsor money to their chosen charity.

Whitby Lions will not collect everyone’s sponsorship money and distribute it.

This is due to the unknown circumstances of Covid and any future restrictions on any large events.

The Boxing Day dip has been running over the last 47 years, originally seeing numbers soar from a handful of brave locals to a record-breaking level of more than 200 dippers in 2019, desperate to run into the wintry ice-cold waves of the sea, with big numbers watching on from the sidelines.

The club raised more than £14,000 in 2019 for local and national charities.

Brian Harrison of Whitby Lions said: "We featured on national television with BBC Breakfast filming live at the event on Boxing Day morning.

"We hope for an equally successful event this year and we hope the local community comes out to support ourselves, our dippers and the many charities involved."

To register and pay your entry fee for the dip, please go to www.whitbylionsclub.org.uk and go to the Boxing Day Dip page to use the PayPal link.

Alternatively, you can register and pay at The Whitby Pet Shop on Station Square, to collect a sponsor form.

You can also register and pay on the day by credit/debit card at the registration tent at The Bandstand.

To keep up to date for the latest event information visit the Whitby Lions Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages.

The event kicks off at 10am on Boxing Day morning and the registration tent at The Bandstand will be open until 10.30am.

Fancy dress judging will take place at 10.35am with prizes going to the best dressed adult male/female, best under 16 male/female and the best team or club.

After the prizes have been handed out, all dippers will proceed to run or jog into the North Sea.

The club thanks everyone who enters, volunteers and especially The Whitby Pet Shop for taking the time to register dippers, Esk Valley Coaches and their staff who volunteer their coaches each year and Whitby Diving Club who help to ensure the dippers' safety.