PENGUINS, a full herd of reindeer, mermaids and a whole host of Santa's braved the chilly waters of the Channel on Christmas morning.

But it was no massive act of masochism on their part, as the participants in this year's White Christmas Dip have helped to raise thousands of pounds for a local charity.

At Boscombe Pier more than 960 swimmers took part, with many hundreds of family members and friends watching and standing by with towels and hot drinks.

Organiser Tom Baker said the event had again grown in size, and this year they hope to raise a whopping £50,000 for Macmillan Caring Locally, the palliative care unit at Christchurch Hospital.

"This is the eleventh year and we thought that last year, being our tenth anniversary, we would probably reach our limit," said Tom.

"But we are a hundred up again, and nearly at 1,000 people taking part."

The event started when Tom's uncle was diagnosed with cancer more than a decade ago. His family, wanting to raise funds, sought out the Spartans Christmas Day swim group but, unable to find them on the day, they went in on their own.

"There were only seven of us," said Tom. "But it has just grown and grown every year."

Tom praised the many volunteers who help out serving hot food and drink and marshalling the event, as well as the Dip's corporate sponsors.

"Without them it wouldn't happen," he said.

Visit @whitexmasdip on Twitter and the Macmillan White Christmas Dip on Facebook