Saundersfoot Beach was the place to be to welcome the New Year in in style.

A record 2,048 swimmers and thousands of spectators braved the icy waters for the 36th annual Saundersfoot New Year’s Day Swim.

The charitable event just gets bigger and better - and as the gathered masses prepared for the big event they were entertained by the dancers from Cast & Crew Performing Art School who provided the warm-up, whilst the crowd provided a powerful rendition of ‘Delilah’.

The swim countdown was initiated by Great British Bake Off star Michelle Evans-Fecci, and at 12.30 pm the swimmers were sent down the sands by a firework launch courtesy of Westcoast Fireworks.

The swimmers did not disappoint on the fancy dress front. In amongst the fancy dress entrants were numerous elves, fish, horses and dinosaurs.

Saundersfoot Festivities Chairman Martyn Williams said: “The village and wider community has done us proud again. We could not have conceived 36 years ago we would be here now hosting such a major event.

Our driving force as always is the huge number of fantastic causes that benefit. Thirty-six years on and this event is getting bigger and better with thousands of pounds being raised for charity.

The people from Saundersfoot, the surrounding areas and even further afield have come out in force to support this marvellous event despite the weather.”

Fancy Dress Results

Group: 1. ‘Roadworks’ from Stepaside Coachworks; 2. ‘Alice in Wonderland’ from Phillips and Vaux Family; 3. ‘Cool Runnings’ from Malin House Hotel

Individual: 1. Dilys the Fish’ Mark Halford; 2. ‘Drummer Boy’ - Barbera Camp; 3. ‘Wurzel Gumage’ - Mr Hayman

2020 Swim

Sponsors

Powells Cottage Holidays, Harbour Wealth Independent Financial Planners, Scaffold 2000, Sunnyvale Holiday Park, Broughton Leisure Ltd, Silver Lily, Princes Gate Spring Water, Elston Construction, Folly Farm, Taf Valley Coaches, Sue’s Pantry, Saundersfoot Pleasure Boats, 1 Formula Fitness, Little & Large Lite Bites, Synter MINI, Lewis, Lewis & Co Ltd, Mike Wealleans PVCu Specialist, Neil Finlay Cars, NBSM, The Antiques Shop, Pembrokeshire Engineering and Pembrokeshire Tyres & MOT.

For further information about the swim, please visit www.saundersfootnyds.co.uk, or follow Charlie Shivers on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram @CharlieShivers.

Photographs of the swim can be obtained from Gareth Davies Photography, Tel: 07836 334436.