A calendar featuring members of the “Millie Chilly” swimmers has raised £2,000 for Looe RNLI.

During the group’s lunchtime get together on Saturday, January 13, they presented a cheque to Looe RNLI’s fundraising team.

The Millie Chilly Swimmers are a group of like-minded folk who swim in the sea all year round, mostly from Millendreath, Readymoney, Seaton and Looe beaches.

One of the members, Karen, who took some of the photographs for the calendar, said: “We wanted to do something to raise money for the RNLI Looe Lifeboats, because, as a group of sea swimmers it is reassuring to know they are always there for us with their pagers, ready to respond, no matter what the sea throws at them.

“We are humbled to know these people are volunteers with jobs and a life of their own which they are willing to put on the line for all of us.”

The Millie Chilly 2024 calendar went on sale in the summer of 2023 and the group have been delighted that so many people have purchased them. As well as featuring 12 themed photographs, the calendar also includes important RNLI safety advice for anyone considering a swim in the sea.

The group celebrated their success with a lunchtime get together at the Beach House, Seaton, where they presented a cheque for £2,000 to Looe RNLI’s fundraising team’s treasurer Jeanette Deakin and branch chair Rod Pritchard. Accepting the cheque Jeanette and Rod thanked the swimmers on behalf of the lifeboat station and volunteer crew.

Rod went on to explain how the money raised will be used towards the running costs of the lifeboat station, crew equipment and training, all of which enables our crews to continue saving lives at sea.

Buoyed with the success of their 2024 calendar, Karen says they have already started to take photographs for their 2025 calendar, which they hope will be equally popular, as this time the group want to raise funds for the Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust’s helicopter appeal.