This year Aldeburgh celebrates the twenty sixth anniversary of the first Aldeburgh Boxing Day Swim in 1988. There have been a couple of years when the event has been cancelled because of adverse sea conditions, but apart from that the event is well established in the Aldeburgh calendar. The first swim was organised by Dr Kevork Hopayian, a local GP, to raise funds for the victims of the Armenian earthquake. Since then the event has raised thousands of pounds for charity, and this year we intend to donate funds to the RNLI, East Anglia’s Children’s Hospice and the Make-A-Wish Foundation UK. Make-A-Wish grants wishes to children and young people fighting life threatening medical conditions.

When and where

The swim will take place at 11.00am on Tuesday 26 December, on the beach opposite the Moot Hall, Aldeburgh. This is an event for confident swimmers who do not suffer from medical conditions which make cold water swimming unsafe. If you want to join in do please ensure you arrive in good time, at least fifteen minutes before the start time. You’re in the water for a maximum 60 seconds, although on a cold day that can feel like the slowest 60 seconds of the year.

Online Entry

Swimmers should enter the event online at https://www.entrycentral.com/boxingdayswim

We ask swimmers for a non refundable £10 donation each, to cover our costs of insurance and medical support.

Après Swim

The White Lion Hotel is kindly offering swimmers hot chocolate, snacks and warm sofas after the swim. We’re grateful to them for their continuing generous support of this event.

Spectators

Spectators are very welcome and add to the fun and excitement of the event. We only ask that they do not enter the swimmer’s pen as that can compromise health and safety.

Donations

We will have collection buckets and SumUp card readers on the beach on the day. Donors can also donate via the Aldeburgh Boxing Day Swim page on the JustGiving website.

The choice is yours: dip in or chip in. We hope to see you on the day.