Boxing Day swim to end after more than 20 years

The Boxing Day Dip has been a tradition on Mersea Island for more than 20 years

A Boxing Day swimming tradition that started more than 20 years ago will not continue this year, its organiser said.

Hundreds of swimmers have taken part in the annual Boxing Day Dip on Mersea Island in Essex since it started in the early 2000s, but insurance problems mean it will not go ahead this year.

Organiser Martin Wade, 76, said it would not be possible to meet the requirements of the event's public liability insurances, which include the number of marshals and volunteers needed to run the event safely.

The event is a fundraiser for the RNLI. Mr Wade, chairman of the West Mersea lifeboat station, hopes to arrange an alternative fundraising event.

'Popular event'

Mr Wade said he and his wife organised the first event after learning of something similar in Cornwall.

About 50 people turned up in the first year, and it grew to 180 swimmers and about 1,000 spectators in 2023.

"We will miss it," Mr Wade said. "It is a very popular, big event."

He said stricter insurance requirements could mean the event was unable to return in the future.

"When we first started, there were no conditions on us at all, we just did it," he said.

"Gradually, over the years, things like risk assessments and event plans have come in that are highly scrutinised."

The event was jointly organised by the lifeboat station and a group of local fundraisers.

It raised about £4,000 a year, Mr Wade said.