Mass hysteria took them in, hypothermia brought them out…
More than 200 intrepid swimmers dusted off their trunks and tankinis, dived out of their comfort zones and welcomed in the festive season with a splash.
One of our most adventurous team members,Jo,joined more than 200 fearless (some might say crazy) bathers to swim in the near-freezing waters of Parliament Hill lido on Saturday 4th December for the Outdoor Swimming Society’s fourth annual December Dip.
With a pool temperature of 0.01 degrees and snow still crunching under the swimmers’ bare feet anyone with a heart problem was advised not to take part.
Royle Family comedienne, actress and keen outdoor swimmer Jessica Hynes and Head of Great Swim, Colin Hill, hosted the event which gave existing OSS members a chance to come together to plan next year’s swims and those keen to ‘dip their toe’ into outdoor swimming first-hand experience of why it is becoming such a huge phenomenon.
Sky News braved the cold to come down and do an outdoor broadcast and the event was also covered on BBC News Online, Metro and the Daily Mirror. A great event but hopefully 2011 will be a touch warmer!
Thanks to Jo Bennett for the picture.
