Hardy ladies’ daily dip for charity at Washingbay

WALKERS at the Washingbay in Derrylaughan may have been startled to see three women braving the freezing waters of Lough Neagh in recent weeks.

It has all been for a good cause as Niamh Nugent, her mother Fidelma Laverty along with friend Judith Barber from Killyman have been taking the plunge to raise funds for Air Ambulance NI.

The ‘Dip a Day’ initiative is to raise much needed funding after Niamh’s father Mark was involved in an accident at work and the vital service attended and brought him to hospital.

Niamh explained, “I have been doing the cold water dip every day in December for Air Ambulance NI as they are a charity that needs £5,550 a day to run. That is our target and we are getting close to it.

“On October 31, my dad fell from a height at work. He was helped by both the local paramedics and air ambulance. The speed at which the air ambulance were able to transport him to the hospital most definitely helped to both save his life and aid his future recovery process. It is a charity that needs funding to store the helicopter, provide fuel, pay for maintenance, insurance etc. I hope that I can reach my target to fund the air Ambulance NI to save another person’s life.”

Niamh is no stranger to the cold water having regularly swam in all seasons at Maghery, Oxford Island and Washingbay. During this challenge, when unable to get to the local lough, she fills a brown bin with water and ice before immersing herself in it for five minutes.

She added, “Some mornings other people join us. Open water swimming is great for mental health. People have been out walking and shouted, ‘What are you doing?’ and then say they might do it as well. The start of September is the best time. This is called ‘ice-swimming’ and the temperatures can be very low. But it is lovely as well. Christmas day however it was very choppy, like the sea. It is not the easiest challenge but we are enjoying it.”

So far the hardy swimmers have raised £4,235. To donate log onto: Niamh Nugent Dip a Day Just Giving Page.