Wild swimmers brave cold sea water despite official New Year's Day Dip being cancelled in Fleetwood

Fleetwood beach is packed with groups of people, eager to take the plunge and mark the start of 2025 - despite the New Years Day dip not being an official event. I catch up with three women in wet suits, as they emerge from the sea carrying water safety aids.

“I feel so alive. There’s no better way to celebrate the new year than with a dip in the sea,” says Jackie - a member of the Cleveleys Crazies, a group for wild swimmers and dippers. “It’s invigorating. I just love the energy of the sea and the waves.”

The annual New Year’s Day Dip became a tradition in the 1990s and 2000s and would see hundreds of hardy souls plunge into the cold tide to raise money for charity.

Various tidal issues and safety concerns put a stop to the official wild swimming event - but it doesn’t stop the dedicated few from braving the waters for a paddle to start the new year.

But, as people return to dry land and wrap up in their Dry Robes, there is a sense of community and I can see why the event is so popular. Maria adds: “You’re doing something a bit odd so everybody is very up.”

After jumping in the waves, the group sit in the sand dunes with a hot drink and a few biscuits as they warm up from the cold sea.

‘It attracts crazy people’, Jackie adds. Watch the video above.