If you were taking an early morning stroll across Derrymore beach on Saturday morning, you would have been met by more than the crack of dawn.
170 women descended upon the quiet, sea swept shore of this Co Kerry beach to take part in ‘Dip In The Nip Kerry’, a fundraiser by the charity Recovery Haven Kerry.
Kept under wraps until after the event took place, the location for the fundraiser was eventually revealed yesterday.
The event was only open to women, including cancer survivors, those who are supporting people with cancer, and those seeking to remember a deceased loved one, Tralee.ie reported.
Braving the cold sea at an ungodly hour in the morning, women of all ages waded into the water armed with only a shared sense of camaraderie to keep them warm.
The event was the first women-only Dip In The Nip and generated impressive donations to help cancer support charity Recovery Haven Kerry – so what was described as a powerful and moving morning also proved to be a fundraising success.
Recovery Haven representative Marisa Reidy told Radio Kerry about the atmosphere on the morning.
She said: “It was so empowering and the feedback was brilliant. It was very emotional actually, because a lot of the women were there for personal reasons. One lady said it was companionship among strangers – that sums it up entirely.
“It was fabulous to just see this outpouring of support from some women who have used our services, some who know people who have used our services, just so we can be there as we always have been.
“It’s so important that we can keep doing that thanks to these amazing women who showed up today.”
