Hardly swimmers plunged into the icy waters of the Irish Sea to raise money for a host of charities.

The New Year’s Eve Dip at the Golden Sands in Whitehaven saw over 150 people brave the cold to say goodbye to 2019.

Organisers said it was the biggest turnout they had ever seen.

John O’Brien, one of the founders of the annual event, which has been running for 22 years, said: “It’s the biggest turnout ever and the biggest crowd as well. I think it’s very good - we couldn’t have asked for a better day - although the water was very, very cold.”

He also thanked the RNLI who provide assistance at the event.

Before swimmers entered the water, there was a round of applause to honour former Whitehaven Coastguard station officer Paul Pater, who died earlier this year.

Among those to take the plunge, were Emma and Barry Ferguson, Hayley and Alyson Graffin, Cheryl Smitham and Tina Pettitt, from Copeland and Allerdale Autism Support.They all have children who are autistic and have raised £2,000 for their support group.

Mrs Ferguson said: “We all went in and dunked together. That took your breath away.”

John Maxwell, Rihanna Maxwell, Lucy Kennet and Mark Andrews all braved the cold in aid of Danica’s Dream Fund, which supports seriously ill children.

It was the fifth time Mr Maxwell had taken part to raise money in memory of his daughter, Danica Maxwell, from Egremont, who died in 2010. He said it was “mind over matter” when entering the choppy waters.

Also taking part for the fifth time was Ian Richardson, of the Think Pink fundraising group, which raises vital funds for West Cumberland Hospital’s Breast Unit. The charity was founded by Karen Ritson, who passed away in 2015 after an eight-year battle with breast cancer.

Mr Richardson said: “It was a little bit cooler than last year. It was really enjoyable and good to get in and blow the cobwebs off and raise money for charity.”