The legendary event has been absent from the Christmas scene for two years because of the Covid pandemic, with last year’s Welsh Government regulations scuppering it with just seven days’ notice.
But this year, the fundraising swim will be back in style as it celebrates its 50th anniversary. It first took to the water in 1970 with just a handful of people as an out-of-season publicity stunt.
Over the years it has snowballed into one of Wales’ top festive attractions and is ranked in the top 10 of Britain’s barmiest seasonal swims. The many thousands of swimmers and spectators who have enjoyed the silly spectacle over the decades have helped to raise more than £300,000 for charities and good causes.
The most recent swim, in 2019, saw around 800 brave bathers stampede down Tenby’s North Beach into the chilly water. And this year the organisers, the Tenby Sea Swimming Association, are hoping for an even better turn-out to mark the golden anniversary.
