North East Skinny Dip: Over 1000 take part
Written by Sonny Pembleton on 6th October 2026
Over 1,000 people ditched their clothes and plunged into the sea at Druridge Bay, Northumberland to raise funds for Mind Charity.
The annual North East Skinny Dip event, organised by Jax Higginson, 48, has overseen 14 dips in 14 years.
Higginson said: “All I want to do is keep encouraging people to feel positive about themselves and their body.”
Druridge Bay. Image Credit – Justine Gillespie
On track to raise £50,000 for this year’s dip, a milestone total of £250,000 raised for Northumberland & North Tyneside Mind is set to be achieved, highlighting the financial benefits of the North East Skinny Dip for local charities alongside mental health.
Coinciding with fundraising for Mind, the event celebrates body positivity and provides solace for those participating.
Higginson added: “I have lost count of the deep, life changing emails saying, ‘this has changed my life, I see myself and everybody else differently now.’”
Meg Fenwick, a participator in 12 out of the 14 dips, said: “our friendships have been built and strengthened. It’s like peeling off the mask of pressure.” Another volunteer outlined the dip as their “annual reset.”
One of NESK’s key focus points is breaking down the idea of being naked around others being crude and stigmatised.
Fenwick dismissed negative comments on social media about the event, saying: “Face to face, being all together is step one. I want people to understand that coming together and daring to be naked is the most courageous and vulnerable thing to do all at once.”
NESK’s event has evidently risen since the first dip in 2012 which held 163 participants. 2026’s dip welcomed over 1,000 people, highlighting how the changes in dipper’s body positivity and mental health have encouraged others, through word-of-mouth and social media activity.
The organisastion has since grown into more than the skinny dip with fire performers, drummers, drone artists and body painters for entertainment side of the charity event.
