BURN off some of the Christmas dinner calories and brave the 5-6C waters of the estuary for the annual Boxing Day Dip raising money for Southend RNLI.

Last year a national RNLI report named Southend as the busiest lifeboat station in the UK having launched its boat 147 times, highlighting the importance of such fundraising events.

All money raised, via participants’ entry fee of £6 in advance or £25 cash on the day, plus any additional sponsorship, will be used at Southend RNLI, based at Southend Pier.

A spokesman said: “Those braving the cold waters to help raise money do so in the knowledge that their safety is our top priority and while the waters can get as chilly as 5 degrees Celsius, we have very specific safety precautions in place to ensure people have a fun and enjoyable experience, whilst remaining safe at the same time.

“It costs over £120,000 to run the Southend RNLI station each year and so running events like the dip are crucial to the life-saving operations of the station.

“Historically the event has raised over £10,000 each year, meaning the station is able to cover its costs from locally raised money, along with other methods of fundraising throughout the year.

“By raising money locally, it means we fund our own outgoings, which include fuel for boats, state-of-the-art safety equipment for our crew, full training for all our crew and so much more - all of which helps to keep people safe on the coast of Southend and the surrounding areas.

“Whilst traditionally the summer months are busier for Southend station, the volunteer crew do still get numerous of taskings throughout the winter, ranging from vessels in distress through to other water users in need.

“Whatever the request, our volunteers are available to launch, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year to help save lives at sea.”

It will be the seventh year the event has taken place, this time on Monday, December 26, at 10.45am with the ‘the dip’ at 11.30am on Jubilee Beach.

All dippers are required to have beach shoes, a towel or dressing gown, with plenty of clothes to layer up after the dip.

The minimum age for entry is 12 years old.

Fancy dress is optional, but head costumes are not allowed in the water. Register at visitsouthend. co.uk/event/southend-rnli-boxing-day-dip