Hundreds of hardy people braved a dip in the North Sea for the Boxing Day Dip this year at Redcar– including the rector of St Nicholas Church in Guisborough.
Revd Alison Philippson decided to brave the cold water in return for sponsorship towards the repair costs of the church tower.
The bill has been estimated at £160,000, and, whilst the church is trying to obtain grants, the church must find some way of raising funds itself.
Consequently, Revd Alison sportingly volunteered to undergo the Boxing Day dip, sponsored by members of the congregation.
Afterwards she wrote: “Thank you so much to everyone who has supported, encouraged, and sponsored me for the ‘dip’. I can definitely say I was in there and fully submerged, thanks to one of the large waves!
"I was totally overwhelmed when I heard that people were actually there, and I’m just so sorry that I didn’t know and missed folks – thank you so much. I am so blessed to know so many lovely folks here in Guisborough.”
“The water was nowhere near as cold as I was expecting and I really enjoyed the whole thing – too numb to notice actually,” she added.
“Once we have the final sponsorship total, we will let everybody know. Again, thank you all so very much.”
Donations towards the tower repair fund can be made by using the JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/page/geoffrey-hill-1701956382839?.
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