Deeply dippy! Kintyre outdoor challenge went swimmingly

KIRSTY BLACK, from Saddell near Campbeltown, has always been a keen swimmer.

For the past 18 months she has also been a Cub Scout Leader.

Kirsty decided to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award’s Diamond Challenge, where the charity asked people to set themselves a task to raise money to mark the organisation’s 60th anniversary, and she wasn’t about to go easy on herself.

The 26-year-old, who works for West Dunbartonshire Council, vowed to go swimming every day in December – outdoors – no matter what the weather.

It might have been unseasonably warm last month, but Kirsty soon discovered the water was still a little nippy.

At 7.50am on December 1 she put on her bathing suit and braced herself as she slipped into the icy water at Saddell Bay.

It was a shock to the system but the views of the sunrise took her breath away just as much as the cold water.

Each day, either in the morning or evening, she would make her way to various spots around Kintyre – Ardminish Bay, Machrihanish and Torrisdale, to name a few – often with hardy friends and work colleagues braving the elements alongside her.

She came to look forward to her daily dips and there was no taking a day off on Christmas.

At 12.30pm, post-presents but pre-turkey, Kirsty and her loved ones headed down to Saddell Bay for a new festive family tradition.

Kirsty quickly smashed her initial target of £60 and has now raised more than £1600 for good causes, so she wanted to mark the final day – Hogmanay – in style.

Every hour on the hour, from sunrise to sunset, she went to a different location in Kintyre with friends and supporters – nine dips in total.

You might think that was the end of it, but she was back in the water the next morning with scores of others to take part in the annual New Year’s Day Dip For Dosh event.

A week on from the end of her challenge, Kirsty is missing the invigorating feeling of swimming outdoors every day, which she found was a great way to wake up.

That’s why she’s joined a group with other like-minded people and will continue taking the plunge on a weekly basis.

Just call Kirsty the big-hearted mermaid of Kintyre!