Waking up naked! 1,200 brave skinny dippers run into the icy North Sea for charity

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

Around 1,200 brave souls took to the cold waters for the twelfth year in a row for the North East Skinny Dip at Druridge Bay in Northumberland.

Men and women ranging in age enjoyed their morning by running in calm conditions in the icy water at sunrise.

The charity fundraiser saw participants camp out overnight before being entertained by fire dancers in the morning and preparing to bare all in the icy sea.

Hundreds of skinny dippers threw away their clothes and ran into the icy North Sea this morning to raise money for charity

Men and women ranging in age enjoyed their morning by running in calm conditions in the icy water at sunrise

The dip, which has become an annual mainstay since its launch in 2012, takes donations and raises money for mental health charity MIND and is organized by Jax Higginson.

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

The festival’s traffic management officer said: ‘It was absolutely brilliant.

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

‘I drove here because it is such a liberating and invigorating morning. I absolutely love it.

‘The sunrise was amazing too, so brilliant.

‘Jax, the organizer, is such a beautiful soul and it’s a great cause.

‘It’s such a beautiful beach with a beautiful sunrise.

‘Everyone strips off and everyone runs into the sea together, which is great.

‘It was quite cold this morning, but that’s always the case. I do open water swimming so it was fine for me, but the conditions were good.

“We don’t know what the exact numbers were, but there was a huge amount of people there.”

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

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

She said: “This is our sixth year doing this.

‘We’ve raised around £140,000 in the last six years, which is fantastic and makes a huge difference.

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

‘We’re hoping to raise around £20,000 from today’s event alone, but we’ll have to wait and see.

“There was a big crowd today, so it was great for us.

‘We have merchandise that day, but a large part of the money comes from participants who promise to donate.

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

‘It makes you feel really good and it’s great for body positivity.

‘We see this event as a reset for body confidence and to make people realize that they should be proud of themselves.

‘It’s fantastic that everyone came together. Everyone is cheering and clapping, which is great.’