BY Esther Hayden
Hardy souls braved the icy waters at Duncannon Beach on St Stephen's Day in aid of the Talk 2 Tom suicide prevention charity.
Organised by Duncannon FC the swim was a great success according to Padraig Doran of the club.
'We had a great turnout and were delighted with how it went. We had people of all ages talking part in the dip. We even had one person get into the sea with crutches and another person with a walking aid.
'I think there was great support for it because Talk To Tom is such a worthy charity. People really wanted to help out especially when mental health is such a concern for some people around Christmas.
'We raised €900 for Talk To Tom which we were delighted it and it is great to have something to do on Stephen's Day. The water wasn't too bad really considering the time of year. I think the biggest problem was the wind chill waiting around the beach to get into the water.
'People just hopped in and out of the water and then went to shower and dry off.
'We had a lot of onlookers too so we had great support and cheers from people when we ran into the water. Some people wore their Santa hats into the water too so it added another festive touch to the day.
'Overall we were delighted with how the day went and touched by the support we got from people for such a good cause like Talk To Tom', said Padraig.
