Skinny dipping event raises hundreds for charity

Ross Mantle said nearly £800 was raised for charity including donations from Guernsey skinny dippers and local sympathisers

A secret charity skinny-dip in Jersey has raised hundreds of pounds for charity, organisers say, despite authorities withdrawing permission for the event.

Event organiser Ross Mantle said he and some friends held the event in a "secret location" after raising funds in aid of Jersey Hospice Care.

He said approval was given and sponsorship money was pledged before permission was withdrawn.

St John Constable Andy Jehan said he was unable to support the event at the time as he did not want to breach any law.

'No police powers to prohibit'

Mr Mantle said nearly £800 was raised for the charity and a protest skinny-dip was held.

The organiser said he decided to go ahead with the swim in secret as he did not want to "disappoint" anybody who donated.

The naturist swim was planned for 13 July at Bonne Nuit, having had permission from the police, the Bailiff and St John Constable Andy Jehan.

In an email to Mr Mantle, Jersey Police cited article 2 of the Policing of Beaches (Jersey) Regulations 1949 which said "no person shall on any beach behave or be clothed in any manner reasonably likely to offend public decency".

The force also cited article 35 of the Sexual Offences (Jersey) Law 2018.

Police did tell Mr Mantle it was not for the States Police to permit or prohibit the event.

But Mr Jehan previously said he had to cancel the event having discovered it could breach legislation.

He added that he hoped the event would go ahead in Jersey in the future.

"I tried to find a solution with the organiser at Bonne Nuit.

"Unfortunately, what we didn't want to do was breach any law and, therefore, that's why I couldn't support it at the time," he said.

Mr Mantle said similar events in Guernsey had had up to 70 swimmers and had made almost £11,000 for local cancer charities over the past three years.

"Just think how much 50 or 100 people would have raised," he said.

The number of participants in the Jersey swim has not been confirmed.