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Jersey Hospice Care and The National Trust for Jersey’s newly established winter fundraiser, 'The 12 Bays of Christmas', proved to be a great success.
During December, 281 intrepid men, women and children took part in the sea swimming challenge and raised just under £20,000 to be split between the two local charities.
The fundraiser went beyond the expectations of the organisers. Donna Le Marrec, Marketing and Events Manager for the National Trust said “we thought there might be some interest as we know that there are many year round swimmers that meet regularly, but the sheer number of participants and the amount raised at, let’s be honest, a pretty cold and miserable time of the year in terms of the weather, really amazed us and we are so very grateful for that commitment and support”.
Chief Executive for Jersey Hospice Care, Mike Palfreman, said: “A huge thank you to everyone who took part or supported their family and friends through sponsorship. It was amazing to see this enthusiasm, dedication and generosity throughout December, and the funds raised will make such a positive difference for both charities.”
The challenge invited seasoned year-round swimmers and those that wished to carry on swimming after the annual ‘30 Bays in 30 Days’ fundraiser to take a dip in 12 bays between 1 and 31 December. Each bay had a festively-themed name, for example ‘Port let it Snow’ and ‘Jingle all the Quaisne, and participants were encouraged to get into the festive spirit by wearing a Santa hat and enjoying a hot drink after their swim. Two participants, Sandra Noel and Sandra Rycroft made their own “12 Bays”-themed lyrics to Christmas Carols and sang these at each swim.
The event was generously supported by F Nicholson & Son Limited, building, roofing and scaffolding contractor, who have kindly committed to sponsoring the event again in 2022.
