Mayobridge pair complete their annual ‘Dips for Pips’ challenge

Mayobridge pair Caroline Anderson and Gillian Fitzpatrick.

Mayobridge women Gillian Fitzpatrick and Caroline Anderson have completed their third annual ‘Dips for Pips’ challenge with all the proceeds benefitting PIPS Hope and Support charity.

The pair took a dip into the icy water of Warrenpoint Harbour each day in January, and completed their challenge last Wednesday. They first undertook the challenge in 2022 and have now completed it for a third time.

Gillian explained why they undertook the challenge, and how much fun they had completing it.

“A few years ago Caroline decided that she wanted to do the Camino (a 120km five-day walk at Camino De Santiago for PIPS Hope and Support), and she needed to fundraise,” said Gillian.

“And that’s when she came up with the idea of ‘dips for pips’. But sometimes it’s not easy to complete the challenge; like last Thursday I was away at a show in Belfast and was home around 10.30pm, I got changed and went down to meet Caroline for one dip at 11.30, then another at five past midnight, so we killed two days in one go.

“But if we were finding it a struggle, how much are the people that we’re trying to raise money for struggling every day?”

Although the pair went in together every day, they were not alone as many friends and family members joined them on various days throughout the month, and Gillian explained the benefits that taking a regular dip in the sea can have.

“People joined us, and we had tremendous fun and craic doing it,” she said.

“We absolutely hope to continue doing this for years to come. There are people down there who are 80-85 years old, and they are going in every day. We’re only young people!

“I actually text Caroline this morning ‘fancy a wee swim’ because I miss it already, even though it has only been a couple of days!

“You actually begin to feel the need for it, because if you’re having a bad day, going down into the sea is so refreshing and exhilarating, and when you come out of the water you are just buzzing.

“Plus, it’s always good to be in contact and connecting with people.”

If you would like to donate to Gillian and Caroline’s fundraiser you can do so by going to https://pipshopeandsupport.enthuse.com and searching for ‘Caroline’s DIPS 4 PIPS’.