1,200 brave skinny dippers dash into the freezing sea for charity

Hundreds of skinny dippers ditched their clothes and ran into the freezing North Sea this morning to raise money for charity.

Around 1,200 brave souls took to the chilly waters for the North East Skinny Dip at Druridge Bay in Northumberland for the 12th year running.

Men and women, who ranged in ages, enjoyed their morning by dashing in the freezing water at sunrise in calm conditions.

The charity fundraiser saw participants camp overnight before they are entertained by fire dancers in the morning and prepare to bare all in the icy sea.

The dip, which has become an annual mainstay since it launched in 2012, takes donations and raises money for the mental health charity MIND and is organised by Jax Higginson.

Sherrill Bacchus, 46, drove all the way from Surrey in her campervan to take part.

The festival traffic management worker said: 'It was absolutely brilliant.

'This was my fourth year of coming and I came all the way from Surrey to be here.

'I drove up here because it's such a liberating and empowering morning. I absolutely love it.

'The sunrise was amazing as well so it was brilliant.

'Jax the organiser is such a beautiful soul and it's a great cause.

'It is such a beautiful beach with a fabulous sunrise.

'Everyone strips off and everyone runs into the sea together which is amazing.

'It was pretty chilly this morning but it always is. I do open-water swimming so it was fine for me but the conditions were good.

'We don't know what the numbers were exactly but there was a huge amount of people there.'

Lee Walker also attended in her role as fundraising coordinator for Mind across Tyneside and Northumberland Mind.

The 56-year-old sold T shirts to raise funds before taking part in the dip herself.

She said: 'This is our sixth year of doing this.

'We have raised around £140,000 in that last six years which is amazing and it makes a huge difference.

'This is our biggest fundraiser of the year. It is even bigger than the Great North Run.

'We hope to have raised around £20,000 from today's event alone but we will wait and see.

'There was a big crowd there today so it was great for us.

'We have merchandise on the day but a lot of the money comes from participants who pledge to donate.

'This event is something people do for their own mental health and wellbeing.

'You get a real good feeling from it and it's great for body positivity.

'We see this event and a reset for body confidence and making people realise they should be proud of themself.

'It's fabulous that everyone came together. Everybody cheers and claps which is amazing.'