New Year dip cancelled but rearranged swim goes ahead

An annual fundraising swim in the chilly North Sea to welcome the new year has been cancelled due to high winds and dangerous sea conditions.

The New Year's Day Dip at Sheringham, Norfolk, raises money for the RNLI and other local charities, but organisers, the Sheringham & Cromer Round Table Charitable Trust, said the 2026 event had been cancelled due to forecast bad weather.

In a social media post, external, the trust said it was "absolutely devastated" to announce the event's cancellation.

In Suffolk, Aldeburgh's rearranged Boxing Day dip took place at lunchtime, external on New Year's Eve and welcomed 300 people.

A spokesperson for the Sheringham event organisers said: "Due to forecast high winds and dangerous sea conditions, it would not be safe to proceed with the event, with the maximum wind expected to reach 43mph (69km/h) and waves forecast to exceed 8ft (2.4m).

"The safety of our dippers & volunteers there to keep you safe on the day must always come first and unfortunately with the forecast as it is, we have taken the really difficult decision to cancel the event."

Last year's event had to be cancelled due to a yellow weather warning for strong winds.

Elsewhere, three Boxing Day swims, at Cromer, Mundesley and Sea Palling in Norfolk, had to be cancelled because of predicted strong winds and high tides.

In Suffolk, the Lowestoft swim went ahead on Christmas Day, but others at Southwold and Felixstowe were called off.

Organisers of the Sea Palling dip have reorganised their event, external for 11:00 BST on Easter Sunday, 5 April.

The Southwold and Felixstowe swims have yet to be rearranged.

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