The first brave swimmers to take to the water to welcome in 2016 will do so on Looe beach at 11am today (Friday, New Year’s Day), at an event organised by the RNLI.

The dip will form the splash-down starting a year of events to mark the 150th anniversary of the RNLI in Looe.

Also at 11am, a group of friends from the Fowey and St Austell area are organising a dip on Pentewan beach. The team of 11 are known as Row Cornwall and are raising money for the charity Pancreatic Cancer Research.

Readymoney Beach at Fowey will be the next venue where a New Year’s Day dip is set to take place. The swim, due to take place at midday, is being held in aid of Beth’s Inspiration, a charity set up in 2013 in memory of Par teacher Beth Clench, who died from Hodgkin lymphoma aged 24.

Torpoint and Rame Peninsula Lions will be holding their annual sponsored New Year’s Day Dip at 12.30pm on Cawsand beach.