2012-09-22

Hundreds of skinny dippers braved chilly temperatures in Druridge Bay on the Northumberland coast in an attempt to break a world record.

They missed out on the record despite the fact that around 200 swimmers turned up to take part.

The North East Skinny Dip was organised in order to raise money for mental health charity Mind.

Organiser Jacqueline Higginson told the BBC that it was 'still a lot of fun' even though not quite enough people turned up to set a new record.

'Today loads of us ran naked into the sea to raise money for Mind and to celebrate ourselves and our bodies,' she said.

The 34-year-old from Whitburn took part in a previous record-breaking skinny dip held last year in south-west Wales.

With this year's Northumberland event taking place at sunrise, the air temperature was a bracing 5.5 degrees Celsius and the sea was a barely-warmer 12 degrees Celsius when the swimmers bravely stripped off.

Last June, the Midsummer Skinny Dip in Llangennith, South Wales, set a new world record for the greatest number of people skinny dipping at a single venue with 413 participants.

It was a fundraising attempt in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care.

PICTURES:
Images from the skinny dipping record attempt

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