AFTER 18 years of splashes and shivers and £32,000 raised for charities and organisations, St David's Penknife Club's New Year's Day swim will not go ahead in 2021 due to coronavirus restrictions.

The Whitesands dip was originally organised to raise money for Porthmawr Surf Life Saving Club.

Over the years the fundraising has expanded with money also going to several other local causes including Shalom House and St Davids RNLI.

In a collaborative approach, the life saving club also provides volunteers man the beaches during and provides the safety cover required to run this event.

St Davids RNLI Lifeboat is also on hand; over those years the crew has held its first training session of the year to coincide with the swim.

"Over those 18 years we have raised just over £32,000 - which is a fantastic achievement," said the penknife club's John Williams.

"We have also been really fortunate to have had a few TV personalities join and support our event."

Last year had the biggest turnout so far with around 350 swimmers braving the briny.

"Clearly we are devastated that this event is not going ahead," said John. "It raises a significant amount of money and recently we have also received match funding from Lloyds Bank, Barclays Bank and Santander - which has significantly boosted the amounts given to our local charities.

"Aside from not being able to support Porthmawr Surf Life Saving Club - the other devastating element to all this is the fact that our main appointed beneficiary, Ty Shalom House - the palliative care centre here in St Davids , will once again suffer because of funds not being raised for them.

"We are happy to take donations through our Facebook page for this chosen charity. If anyone would like to donate please email the club directly at stdavidspenknifeclub@gmail.com."