Christmas Day Swim

And, of course, a Pantomine Horse!

On Christmas morning, members of England's oldest swimming club, Brighton Swimming Club (founded 1860), go for a morning dip in the sea, just to the west of Brighton Pier.

This year there were about 30 intrepid swimmers, and about 3,000 spectators - well, there were certainly many hundreds of spectators. I didn't attempt to count them. There were also a few pantomine characters - to add to the fun.

The seafront is remarkably busy on Christmas morning. Many, no doubt, are out for a constitutional, or just to kep out of the way while Christmas dinner is being prepared by someone else.

The act of madness by the Brighton Swimming Club is growing as a spectator event. Last year Christmas Day was bright and sunny; this year it was cold, dull, and damp, but I reckon there were more people there to view the event than last year.