Hornsea Inshore Rescue announced it would no longer be hosting the New Year’s Day Swim after “tragic loss of lives” in the North Sea
The dip raised funds for Hornsea Inshore Rescue(Image: Peter Harbour)
A popular fundraising event which saw scores of people brave an icy dip in the North Sea on New Year’s Day has been permanently cancelled due to safety concerns after “tragic loss of lives” along the coastline. Hornsea Inshore Rescue has been putting on the New Year’s Day Swim for several years and many people from the Hornsea community and from further afield make it their annual goal to beat their previous year’s fundraising target.
But the rescue team said it can “no longer justify encouraging people to enter the North Sea, particularly during the harsh conditions of January”. It wrote on social media that “no amount of fundraising is worth risking a life”.
There have been several tragic deaths in the North Sea in the last 12 months. In August, 13-year-old Abdi Zubei drowned while swimming in the sea off the Hornsea coast. His body was recovered the day after he went missing after an extensive search.
Earlier this year, 15-year-old Grace Keeling died after being swept into the North Sea in stormy January conditions near Withernsea. Her mother, Sarah, and passerby Mark Ratcliffe also lost their lives that day.
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This year’s swim was cancelled due to high waves, with swimmers being hosed off by icy cold water instead. In a Facebook post, Hornsea Inshore Rescue said: “After much thought and careful consideration, Hornsea Inshore Rescue has made the difficult decision to discontinue our annual New Year’s Day Swim. This has been one of our biggest fundraising events, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported it over the years.
“However, following the tragic loss of lives along our coastline, we feel we can no longer justify encouraging people to enter the North Sea, particularly during the harsh conditions of January. As a lifesaving organisation, our first responsibility must always be the safety of our community.
“This has not been an easy decision, but we firmly believe it is the right one. No amount of fundraising is worth risking a life. Thank you to everyone who has supported this wonderful event over the years. We hope you will continue to support Hornsea Inshore Rescue in our future fundraising activities.”
The post was met by largely positive comments from members of the public. Many said the team had made the right call, and others called for a different kind of fundraiser to take its place.
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