A BUNCH of hardy souls will be forgetting the excesses of New Year?s Eve by taking to the freezing waters of the River Lew in Hatherleigh next week, all in the name of charity.
The Hatherleigh Walruses will again be performing their annual New Year?s Day dip by the bridge, preceded by a short performance.
Ian Strawbridge, one of the organisers, said this year?s somewhat diverse theme for the dip is Australia ? giving participants plenty of scope with their costume-making skills.
Last year?s event raised a splendid £4,000 for the New Okehampton Hospital Appeal ? the first year money from the dip has gone to a charity outside Hatherleigh.
Ian said: ?The money this year is for Hatherleigh Sports Field Association and other Rotary charities ? approximately 25 of us will be going in the river hopefully.
?Normally we raise around £3,000. Last year we got £467 just by shaking tins. We normally get a fairly good crowd come to watch ? it seems the colder it is, the more money we get in the tins!?
The Hatherleigh Walruses start their afternoon of New Year?s Day madness at 2.45pm, entering the wintry waters of the river at 3pm.