The 12 Bays of Christmas

Tuesday 01 December 2020

A festive fundraiser has rebranded some of Guernsey's most popular bays for a themed winter challenge.

Following the success of the 30baysin30days event in the summer, the new winter fundraiser has been launched to raise money for Les Bourgs Hospice, inspired by an idea dreamt up by the Marley and Sealey families, who are all keen sea swimmers.

The 12 Bays of Christmas Challenge encourages islanders to take a dip in 12 bays listed on a map between 1 and 31 December; each has a Christmas-themed name, such as 'Baby it's Cobo outside', 'Bordeaux-ho-ho' and 'Crocq-ing around the Christmas Tree'. 

Co-Founder Dawn Sealey said: “My family and l loved taking part in 30 Bays in 30 Days this year with Kerry [Marley] and her family. We really enjoyed the community spirit, the adventure of swimming at a new beach each day and ticking each bay off on the map.

"The idea of 12 Bays of Christmas was borne out of a desire to combine that same adventure with our love of winter swimming. I’m thrilled that this event has become a reality, thanks to the hard work of Liz [Stonebridge] at Les Bourgs, I hope it raises lots of money for this fantastic charity and I can’t wait to see everyone in the sea.”

Pictured: the map of bays that have been chosen for the festive fundraiser. 

Ms Stonebridge, Founder of the 30baysin30days event, said it has been really positive to see so many people continuing to swim into the winter months.

"Coldwater swimming can have so many benefits for people both physically and mentally so when Kerry and Dawn approached us with the concept we jumped at the chance to help make it happen and are so grateful they shared it with us," she said.

"This promises to be a fun, festive challenge and a great way for people to get to know fellow islanders who share their passion for getting in the sea.”

People can register to take part via the Les Bourgs hospice website, where they can also find the full terms and conditions, including safety measures and advice. 

More information about the event, including how to register (£15 for adults, £5 for U18s) can be found HERE.

The fundraiser is the newest addition to a calendar of popular events that contribute towards the £1.4m the hospice needs to make annually to cover its running costs.