These brave people took a dip in the cold water on Southend seafront on Boxing Day morning! It was the annual Southend RNLI Boxing Day dip, where the water temperature was just 7C!

The event helps raise vital funds for the RNLI, for its Southend lifeboat operations.

Participants paid a £6 fee and are then invited to fundraise further to support Southend RNLI. Fancy dress was also very much encouraged for people taking part!

Daniel Wanna, Event Manager & Southend RNLI Helmsman, said: “This was our 8th year running the event. Historically, the event has raised in excess of £12,000, enabling us to continue to save lives at sea, here in Southend. All profit from this event is utilised specifically at the Southend RNLI Station.

Southend RNLI have two boathouses – one at each end of Southend-on-Sea’s 1.25 mile-long pier. One of the boathouse stations has a a B class and a D class inshore lifeboat, while the other has a D class lifeboat and a hovercraft.

It costs around £438k a day to run the RNLI across the UK, all of which is generously donated by the public. The donated funds mean that a fleet of lifeboats and highly-trained volunteer lifeboat crews are ready to launch from 237 lifeboat stations around country.

Photo by Ross Day Photography.

News Editor

Lead News Reporter & Content Producer for Your Southend

Recent Posts

Southend’s Queensway footbridge demolished amid safety concerns & regeneration debate

The footbridge over the busy Queensway road in Southend has now been removed, marking a…

8 hours ago

Southend venue gears up for glamorous All-Inclusive New Year’s Eve party!

The team at Southend's Holiday Inn are preparing for an All-Inclusive New Year’s Eve party…

2 weeks ago

Man restrained by public after alleged drink driving crash in Leigh-on-Sea, leaving victim with fractured foot

Members of the public stepped in to restrain a man who was allegedly drink driving,…

2 weeks ago

“A dreadful blow to Southend”: city leaders react as University of Essex confirms campus closure

The University of Essex has confirmed that its Southend campus will close in summer 2026,…

1 month ago

University of Essex to CLOSE its Southend campus in major restructure

The University of Essex has announced that its Southend campus will close down in summer…

1 month ago