The annual New Year’s Dip is set to make waves in Whitehaven once again.

Looking to celebrate the New Year with a splash? Here’s one for you. Put on your wackiest fancy dress, march down to Golden Sands and plunge into the sub-zero waters as 500 people look on. And do all of this to raise money for a cause close to your heart.

This is exactly how hundreds of people in Whitehaven will be marking the end of 2017, as they take part in the annual New Year’s Dip. The landmark event on the local calendar has been held on New Year’s Eve for the past 19 years and interest from the community shows no signs of waning.

Now one of the largest events of its kind in the country, the Dip usually attracts more than 100 swimmers, all in fancy dress and diving into the icy waters to raise money for charities of their choice. Although there is no exact figure for the funds raised, it is thought to be in the tens of thousands each year.

But even those not quite brave enough to get wet, still have plenty of fun – and let’s face it – a good laugh. Crowds of spectators, who head to the harbour in their hundreds, watch the madness unfold in front of them.

Organiser John O’Brien said: “We’re expecting a really good turn out, we’re about the 4th biggest in the country now. We usually have around 500 people watching.”

John has been involved since the very beginning, he continued: “When we started it off there was only four or five of us going in and just half a dozen watching. Every year more people want to go in for their charity, it’s always a good turn out and if we can raise more for various charities, then great.”

This year, Cleator Moor’s marathon man and local celebrity, Gary McKee, will be setting off the swimmers. Well, who better to kick off an event this bonkers, than the man who ran 100 marathons in 100 days?

The dippers will dive in at 12pm, but things get going beforehand, with warm-up exercises at the hub on the harbourside from 11.30am. Afterwards there will be free tea, coffee and soup to warm up the sodden swimmers, at the Wellington Bistro.

Before taking to the water, all swimmers need to sign a disclaimer – available from the Wellington Bistro from 10.30am onwards – and anyone under 16 years old must be accompanied by an adult in the water. However plenty of safety precautions are in place, John assured: “It’s a good exercise for the RNLI, the police come down and the Coastguard will be in attendance to keep us all safe.”

Despite suffering from Bronchial Pneumonia after his dip last year, John hasn’t been put off, and will be heading into the waves once again, he said: “I must be mad going in that water. But it’s one of those days in the calendar that I look forward to – it’s the last big event of the year.”

And next year is set to be even bigger, as organisers are planning something something special for the New Year’s Dip’s 20th anniversary. Our bet is, it’s going to to be pretty swell.

John added: “When you hit that water and it’s ice cold and there’s 500 people watching you, it’s something else. Maybe we’re all crazy, but I think it’s a good thing.”

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