The mum of a member of a swimming group said she's "immensely proud" as they completed 365 swims in a year in memory of her husband.
Margaret Gilgunn's son, Peter, started the fundraiser with the Dunmurry Dippers as a way to raise awareness of a rare form of brain cancer, giloblastoma, after his father Tom died in May after having the disease.
An emotional Margaret travelled to the Colin River in West Belfast from her home in Downpatrick on Saturday to see the group dive into the icy waters in tribute to her husband.
Read more: Tributes to Belfast dad who died from rare brain cancer
As she was surrounded by family, friends, and supporters, Margaret said: "It is a superb achievement. I am sad but still so proud of Peter and his friends.
"All of the publicity will bring glioblastoma to the public attention because people won’t be aware of it unless it affected them personally.
"It has raised the profile so it can only do good. If it can help someone not go through what we went through, then it will have been worth it.”
The Dunmurry Dippers have now raised more than £2,500 for The Brain Tumour Charity doing their daily early morning swims. On Saturday the intrepid group had a special celebration event for their 365th swim.
Peter Gilgunn, who started the cold-water swims after his father was diagnosed with cancer in November 2021, was overwhelmed by the turnout of well-wishers.
“It has been amazing. The response has been phenomenal. The main thing is there is going to be a real awareness of glioblastoma now,“ he said.
The Dippers swim every day at a beautiful spot in the Colin River in the heart of suburban Dunmurry. Their exploits have gone viral on social media and even passing trains sound their horns to recognise them.
Dessie Aughey, one of the founder members, said the daily swims had saved his life: “It’s a miracle story. I broke my back when a horse fell on top of me in 2015. I could hardly move then I found this place.
"That pool saved my life and brought me back to full fitness. I spent a full year on my own in the river then I was joined by the rest of the group.”
When Peter found out about his father’s illness, he did a lot of research and discovered that it receives very little funding and survival rates are below one per cent.
“I was determined to raise awareness of this terrible disease and hopefully encourage more funding into finding a cure,” he added.
He said their activity has also had the benefit of focusing on men’s mental health, as cold-water swimming is very beneficial both mentally and physically. One of their regular themes is ‘Hugs Friday’ where they all wish each other the best for the week ahead, showing it is okay for men to reach out to each other and show their emotions.
“When I first got into it I thought it would be very difficult and a real physical and mental challenge but I didn’t realise that there would be so much camaraderie. The wee group has morphed into a Men’s Shed,” added Peter
The Dunmurry Dippers’ Facebook Page has hundreds of followers and many of their supporters on social media have turned up to meet or even swim with the group during their early morning dips.
For more information about the Dunmurry Dippers and their charity challenge click here.
READ NEXT:
- Charity cafes offer free meals to under 12s to help during cost of living crisis
- Belfast woman's fear for dad's health after surgery cancellation
- Belfast cafe launches clothing appeal and market to fund free breakfast club
- 'It's a big help': Belfast group's lunch club for pensioners reducing isolation
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here. To sign up to our FREE newsletters, see here.
