North East Skinny Dip: Bathers in the buff brave North Sea waves

Hundreds of people stripped off for a bracing plunge in the North Sea to raise money for mental health charities.

The annual North East Skinny Dip takes place at Druridge Bay in Northumberland around the time of the Autumn Equinox.

The event’s seventh edition was the biggest so far, with 737 people braving the chilly water as the sun rose.

For the first time it included people in wheelchairs, which had been especially adapted for beach use.

Afterwards, participants celebrated with a breakfast barbecue.

Organiser Jax Higginson described it as “amazing”.

She said: “It was massive this year, and different because it was really inclusive, there were even people in wheelchairs.

“It was so wonderful to see, there was a lot of joy and laughter and endless hugging.

“It’s not just about taking our clothes off, but about taking a risk and sharing a moment.”