We have been doing this for 15 years and only had to miss it once when the sea was really too tempestuous. Ann Novotny, 84, commented: “Every year we gain a few new converts to the swim – there is no better way to start the New Year than to enjoy the invigorating stimulus of a dip in the English Channel. Once you’ve had your sponsorship there’s no question of not going in. If the seas had been too rough to safely swim well have buckets at the ready to fill from the sea and to splash each other with briny water to satisfy our sponsors and supporters.”
