Hundreds brave the sea for charity Christmas dip

Hundreds of hardy swimmers took to the sea for a charity Christmas dip on the coast that has raised about £20,000.

About 1,200 people are thought to have safely taken part in the annual White Christmas Dip, which is held for Macmillan Caring Locally, at Boscombe Pier in Bournemouth, Dorset.

The event began in 2008, when a family decided to wear fancy dress while joining a local swimming club's Christmas morning dip, and has since become one of the UK's most popular festive swims, raising hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity.

The swim took place as emergency services were called to Budleigh Salterton in Devon, when two men went missing in the sea during a Christmas swim.

The coastguard stopped searching the water at 17:00 on Thursday, but police said onshore inquiries continued into the evening. The men's families have been informed.

Another coastal charity swim in Dorset was cancelled because of concerns about water conditions on Thursday.

The Weymouth and Portland Lions Club took the decision to end its Christmas Day Harbour Swim after the first of 10 scheduled swims.

"This was not an easy decision, but it was the right one in the interests of safety for all participants, water support teams, and spectators," it said in a statement.

"We are grateful that both swimmers and spectators supported this decision.

"Despite the cancellation, many spectators continued to donate generously into the collection buckets, for which we are extremely thankful."

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