There will be a chance to wash away the excesses of New Year's Eve in the waves of Whitesands, as St Davids Penkife Club hosts its first event for 2023; the annual New Year’s Day swim.

The swim will take place on Whitesands beach, St Davids, and is a fundraiser for Pothmawr Surf Life Saving Club, which provides cover on the day, and other local causes.

Registration is at 11am and costs £5, with the main event starting at 12pm.

After the swim, there will be a chance to join the Penknife club for a bowl of cawl and live music at the Farmers Arms pub.

Swimmers are reminded that the water is likely to be extremely cold in the winter months and are asked to conduct their own dynamic risk assessment and take all precautions necessary to keep safe.

If you can’t make the swim but would like to donate to the Penknife Club’s good causes, you can do so via the website.

The Whitesands dip has snowballed in popularity with hundreds of swimmers now braving the waves on New Year’s Day.

It has been cancelled for the last two years due to coronavirus restrictions and the organisers are looking forward to welcoming back dippers this year.

With the increasing popularity of cold-water swimming, this year’s swim could be a record-breaking event.

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The swim was originally organised to raise money for Porthmawr Surf Life Saving Club.

Over the years the fundraising has expanded with more than £32,000 being raised over 18 years of swims and money going to several other local causes including Shalom House and St Davids RNLI.

In a collaborative approach, the lifesaving club also provides volunteers to man the event and provides the safety cover required to run this event.

St Davids RNLI Lifeboat is also on hand; over those years the crew has held its first training session of the year to coincide with the swim.