Will you be one of the hundreds of people braving the waves at Whitesands Beach this year to see in 2024?

St Davids Penknife club will once again hold its New Year’s Day swim at Whitesands Beach, St Davids, for those wanting to wash away their hangovers or see in the new year in a bracing way.

The event has been running for more than two decades, long before cold water swimming became popular, with this year’s swim being the 20th of its kind.

Over the years the fundraising has expanded with more than £34,000 being raised over 19 years of swims and money going to several local causes including Shalom House.

This year’s event will raise money for the RNLI, Porthmawr Surf Life Saving Club and other local causes.

Registration kicks off at 11am with the swim starting at midday. Participants are asked to make a donation of £5 and will receive a free wristband.

The event is overseen by Porthmawr Surf Life Saving Club and often coincides with St Davids’ RNLI lifeboat crew’s first training exercise of the year.

Swimmers are reminded that the water is likely to be extremely cold in the winter months and are asked to conduct their own dynamic risk assessment and take all precautions necessary to keep safe.

Advice can be found on the RNLI website under Cold Water Shock, there is also plenty of advice to be found on the Blue Tits website or on their YouTube broadcasts.

After the swim, participants will be heading to the Farmers Arms to enjoy a warm bowl of cawl, some live music and the infamous New Year Day quizzes.

There is free entry to the quiz with a wristband or a donation on the door.

If you would like to make a donation to the swim, you can donate here by following this link https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=8N6K6V4SCGHHL – Or you can go to our website www.penknifeclub.co.uk and make a Donation via our secure payment system.