Searching for something different, unique, and unexpected to do? Is a cheeky skinny dip on your bucket list? If so, why not take part in the first ever Valentine’s Dip in the Nip with the proceeds going to charity.
The Dip in the Nip, which began in 2009 as a women only event, with a men’s dip added last year, is taking the next logical step by holding a mixed Dip in the Nip to celebrate St Valentine’s Day in a unique way.
The event, the first of its kind, which takes place on Sunday, February 26, at around 8.30am on a beach in Galway Bay, should see people with a lot of naked ambition rushing for cover into the nipping waters yelping ‘yikes’ and other commentaries, but it is all in the name of charity. Event organiser Máire Garvey has promised that every effort will be made to ensure that all adventurous participants will be at no risk of hypothermia as there will be a “nice cup of tea before the dip and a nice hot sausage sandwich afterwards”.
Hand in Hand, a relatively new children’s charity based in Galway, is one of the charities that has partnered up with Valentine’s Dip in the Nip. Hand in Hand, which services the entire west coast from Donegal to Limerick, came up with a brilliant idea (based on the founder’s own experience ) of providing very practical, on-the-ground support to families affected by cancer. Hand in Hand help families minimise the impact of both the diagnosis and the frequent long distance travel for treatment on family life. It also means that the parents can spend more time with all of their children instead of having to worry about the day-to-day practicalities that can take up so much time.
Up to half of the monies raised during the event will go directly to Hand in Hand while the remainder will be divided between a Research Fund and a Scalp Cooler Fund. These are pieces of equipment that can minimise or prevent hair loss in chemotheraphy patients. The Dip in the Nip bought its first one in 2011, bringing the total number of scalp coolers in Ireland to 16. Ms Garvey said that Dip in Nip hopes to ensure that within five years every chemotheraphy patient who wants access to a scalp cooler shall have it.
For more information and to register for the Valentine’s Dip in the Nip log onto www.dipinthenip.eu For information on the Hand in Hand charity log onto www.handinhand.ie
