Boxing Day dip for grandad

Mr Budd has been swimming since he was a boy

The icy waters at Pembrey Country Park in Carmarthenshire have attracted hoards of brave swimmers looking for an alternative way to spend Boxing Day.

Hundreds of people, including grandfather Charlie Budd, plunged into the freezing sea at Cefn Sidan for the 16th Walrus Dip event.

Valerie Budd: Not a keen swimmer

Mr Budd, 76, who is recovering from a cold, said: "It was nice and the sea was lovely and warm.

"My oldest daughter Elizabeth came in with me and the grandchildren had a paddle," he said.

Mr Budd, from Seaside, Llanelli, usually enjoys a swim every day from March to November.

The former lifeguard, who was born in a pub in the town, regularly swims at his favourite spot by the Millennium Coastal Park.

"I am in the water for about a quarter of an hour in the winter and around half an hour in the summer," he said.

"I started swimming in the docks with a gang of friends when I was about 14 - I enjoy it," he added.

People come from an hour's drive away, it blows away some of the cobwebs

Park manager Neil Perry

A keen cyclist who also goes for walks twice a day, Mr Budd said he is happiest when he is in the great outdoors.

"I don't like to stay in," he said.

Mr Budd, who was also a cockler and diver, is never joined in the water by his wife Valerie.

"I'm the only in the family who doesn't swim," she said.

"I don't feel comfortable in the water," she added.

Over the years Mr Budd has raised money for charity with funds going to the Air Ambulance last year.

The Walrus Dip, at the park which is owned by Carmarthenshire County Council, saw people dressed as Vikings, firemen, fairies and pantomime horses taking their places on the shoreline for a minute's dip.

Many volunteers, supported by friends and family, run in to the sea for a couple of minutes and retreat quickly to the warmth of the Visitors Centre for a hot drink.