Saundersfoot Beach was the place to be to welcome the New Year in in style. 1856 swimmers and thousands of spectators braved the chilly breeze for the 33rd annual Saundersfoot New Year’s Day Swim in Pembrokeshire.

The charitable event just gets bigger and better – and as the gathered masses prepared for the big event they were entertained with the ‘Cold Cup’ - a fancy dress horse race over obstacles with local pub teams battling it out to lift the coveted trophy.

The festivities continued with a mass participation ‘Mannequin Challenge’ captured by the drone camera of Skycam Wales Ltd.

To warm-up prior to the event the assembled swimmers took part in a mass dance warm-up before Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire MP Simon Hart officially started the event. 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. Highlights included a team of warriors that arrived on the beach inside a giant wooden Trojan Horse and the local school kitted out as Willy Wonka and his Oompa Loompahs.

Saundersfoot Festivities chairman Martyn Williams said: “The village and wider community has done us proud again. We could not have conceived 33 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-three 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 farther a field have come out in force to support this marvellous event despite the weather,” he added.

Fancy Dress Results:

Group

1st Place - ‘Malin of Troy’ -Friends of Malin House Hotel. Collecting for The Red Lipstick Foundation.

2nd - ‘No Wall Donald Trump’ - Stepaside Coachworks. Collecting for Diabetes UK.

3rd - ‘Charlie and The Chocolate Factory’ - Staff and pupils of Saundersfoot School.

Individual

1st Place - ‘Planticus Erecticus’ - Mick Booth. Collecting for Hollybush Allotment.

2nd - ‘Slash’ - Nigel Williams from Pontypridd. Collecting for ‘Samcan’.

3rd - ‘Cousin It’ - Ponty. Collecting for Rory.

Pics. Gareth Davies Photography