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VOBSTER QUAY INLAND DIVING & SWIMMING CENTRE
VOBSTER QUAY
SURFACE WATER TEMP:  8.8 °C    UPDATED:  11-12-2023
SURFACE WATER TEMP:  8.8 °C
Do something amazing this Christmas! Join us for festive fundraising fun in aid of the Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance and Dorothy House Hospice Care charities.
MONDAY 11TH DECEMBER 2023
CHRISTMAS CRACKER CHILL SWIM
Photos copyright © Jason Brown
What better way to round off an awesome year of open water swimming than with one final festive swim in aid of charity! Join us as we dress up in our finest festive swim hats and take to the waters for a sponsored swim followed by live music and a delicious hot supper set against the warm glow of our Heatwave firepit. Start the Christmas Season in style!
Join us for a charity Christmas Cracker Chill Swim, swimming into a festive sunset in the crystal clear waters of Vobster Quay. Our Christmas Cracker Chill Swim is a great way to celebrate Christmas and we actively encourage each and every participant to get into the spirit of the season by hitting the lake waters in their finest festive head gear. Whether you're a swimming Santa, and elf or a red-nosed reindeer, let's go crazy for Christmas!

Our Christmas Cracker Chill Swim is all about having fun but it's also important to remember why we're doing it - to raise bags of cash for very worthy causes! We actively encourage each and every participant to get themselves sponsored for this worthy event. Through JustGiving donations, participants can invite their friends, family and work colleagues to sponsor them to take to the balmy waters of Vobster Quay for a festive swim like no other.

Booking Information
Monday 11th December 2023
£ 32.00
YOU MADE A DIFFERENCE!
For our last Christmas Cracker Chill Swim, we chose to support a charity very close to our hearts - the Motor Neurone Disease Association. Thanks to your amazing efforts, we managed to raise over £2500 for this very worthy charity. We'd like to extend a massive thank you to you all!
POST-SWIM FUN
GREAT FOOD & ENTERTAINMENT
Our Christmas Cracker Chill Swim isn't just a very festive swimming experience, it's also an awesome post-swim experience! After a change into warm clothing, join us on the quayside for delicious hot food, warming mulled wine and some seriously cool live music, all set against the tranquil backdrop of the lake.
Each year we try our best to mix things up with a choice of post-swim food and drink on offer, catering to both 'meaties' and, of course, vegans. Festive swimmers can look forward to more delicious culinary creations from professional chef (and fellow Vobster swimmer) Dagmar. We'll be serving up a hearty beef chilli with rice for the meat eaters or a tasty veggie bean chilli with rice for our vegan friends. Whatever meal choice you go for, you can be sure that it'll be very warming and very, very tasty!

As you tuck into your post-swim meal, kick back and enjoy the smooth and enchating sound of live music from local musical talents playing live on the quayside. This year we'll be entertained by the talented singer-songwriter Sam Wren playing a medley of enchanting songs spanning several decades of great music with, of course, the odd Christmas song added for good measure!

We'll also be firing up our fabulous Heatwave fire pit created by Vobster swimmer Tom Trouton to provide a warm and welcoming glow to proceedings - the perfect spot to enjoy a cosy drink as you relax, chat and enjoy the live music.
ATTENDEE TESTIMONIALS
DON'T TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT!
'Wonderful event - thank you to all the team at Vobster for making it happen'
Jane O'Neill

'Thank you all so much for another amazing event!'
Cathy Fletcher

'Loved it! Thank you to everyone for organising'
Lynda Walker

'Great afternoon. Brilliantly organised. Well done!!'
Pippa Poore

'Wonderful as always!'
Dagmar Hewell

'What a fab afternoon! Many thanks Richard and everyone at Vobster'
Imelda Murphy
CHRISTMAS CRACKER CHILL SWIM
JOIN US FOR FESTIVE SILLINESS!
Ho Ho Ho! Get your festive season off to a very silly start at our Christmas Cracker Chill Swim on Sunday 10th December! Book now and look forward to an afternoon of awesome swimming, live music and even a spectacular fire eater - all topped off with a yummy hot meal and non-alcoholic warm mulled wine!
DO SOMETHING AMAZING
GET YOURSELF SPONSORED!
Our Christmas Cracker Chill Swim is all about having fun but it's important to remember why we're doing it - to raise bags of cash for the Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance and Dorothy House Hospice Care charities.
We actively encourage each and every participant to get themselves sponsored for this worthy event. Through JustGiving donations, participants can invite their friends, family and work colleagues to sponsor them to take to the chilly waters of Vobster Quay dressed in their finest festive swim hats. We've created a poster that you can download (below) and print off to help you promote your involvement and hopefully drum up some donations!

We're doing our bit too - to set the ball rolling, Vobster Quay has donated £1000 to each charity! Whilst it's a great start, we're sure that with your help we can send this year's fundraising total through the roof! Badger your friends, badger your work colleagues and let's make it happen.

All proceeds from JustGiving and collections to the Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance and Dorothy House Hospice Care. All proceeds of raffle to be divided equally between both charities. The Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance is registered as a charity number 1078685. Dorothy House is registered as a charity number 275745.
DORSET & SOMERSET
AIR AMBULANCE
Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance provides critical care and evacuation for patients in Dorset and Somerset. Since their helicopter first took to the air in 2000, it has been tasked to thousands of rescue missions that have helped to save many thousands of lives. Their critical care team are operational 365 days a year.
DONATE
DOROTHY HOUSE
HOSPICE CARE
Dorothy House Hospice Care provides palliative and end of life care to adults (18+) with a progressive, treatable but not curable life-limiting illness or with severe frailty, and also their family (including children) and carers. They care for people across the Bath & North East Somerset area, and parts of Wiltshire and Somerset.
DONATE
Useful Resources
Download, print out and post up this eye-catching poster to help you promote your charity sponsorship efforts...

SPONSORSHIP POSTER
Click icon to download
Looking to encourage other open water swimmers to join you at our Christmas Cracker Chill Swim? Download, print out and distribute this colourful event poster amongst your friends...

EVENT POSTER
Click icon to download
Avoid the hassle of collecting sponsorship monies by pointing your friends, family and work colleagues to these online donation links...

Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance...
https://www.justgiving.com/page/chillswim2023-airambulance

Dorothy House Hospice Care...
https://www.justgiving.com/page/chillswim2023-dorothyhouse
AMAZING PRIZES TO BE WON!
FESTIVE PRIZE DRAW RAFFLE
One of the highlights of our Christmas Cracker Chill Swim event is our charity prize draw raffle. With prizes donated by some of the biggest names in open water swimming, our raffle gives swimmers the opportunity to win some great prizes and donate serious money to very worthy charities!
Tickets for the raffle cost just £1 and will be available to buy through the Vobster shop in the lead up to the event. The draw itself takes place at the Christmas Cracker Chill Swim event. You don't have to be an attendee to enter either - anyone can buy tickets! All proceeds are donated to charity so spread a little festive cheer and buy a sack-full of tickets when they become available later this year.

Don't forget! The more tickets you buy, the more chances you've got of bagging an amazing prize so keep those fingers crossed that you're a winner!
SWIM SECURE 28L DRY BAG FLOAT
A brightly coloured high visibility inflatable dry bag with leash and waist belt. Ideal for storing kit whilst outdoor swimming and for increased visibility in open water. All Swim Secure inflatable dry bags will easily support an adult's weight if you need to rest.
Visit SWIM SECURE
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YONDA CHANGING MAT RUCKSACK
How's this for something truly unique? The clever designers at Yonda have come up with a ruck sack that doubles up as a changing mat! Get changed in comfort and then pull the strings together to seal all your wet gear into the bag. Amazing!
Visit YONDA
SWIM SECURE CLASSIC TOW FLOAT
This tow float is perfect for keeping you safe and seen while swimming in open water. The ultra-light Tow Float produces virtually zero drag and features two inflation chambers for added safety in the unlikely event that one chamber fails while in use.
Visit SWIM SECURE
SWIM SECURE WATERPROOF BAG
Keep your valuables safe and dry with this great multi-use waterproof bag from Swim Secure. Designed to hold a 5.5" smart phone, your phone can even be operated through the clear front screen and the camera can operate through the rear camera window. 
Visit SWIM SECURE
SWIMMING ADVENTURE
Love to swim? Then you'll love this amazing raffle prize from Go With The Flow - a wild swimming adventure. Take in some of the most stunning scenery - and swimming - that the UK has to offer!
Visit GO WITH THE FLOW
NANCY FARMER CALENDAR
Enjoy a year packed with Nancy's colourful and cheerfully optimistic artwork with this very special calendar entitled 'Aqueous Interruptus'. Includes drawings and stories from Clevedon, the Lake District, Seaton and Portishead.
Visit NANCY FARMER
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GLOW SWIM TICKET + WOOLLY HAT
Two very lucky raffle winners will get their hands on the ticket every swimmer craves - a ticket to a GLOW SWIM of your choice in 2024. To get you in the mood, we're also throwing in a toasty warm GLOW SWIM woollen hat.
Visit GLOW SWIM
SWIM MUG + TONY'S CHOCOLATE
Get your hands on a very special solid metal enamel mug created exclusively for us by talented local artist Sarah Corbett. And what better accompaniment to a great mug of coffee than a bar of wonder Tony's Chocolate. What flavour will you choose?
Visit TONY'S CHOCOLATE
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FOURTH ELEMENT EAR WARMER
These festive ear warmers are made from thermal fleece and are super comfortable. The shaped sides extend lower to cover the ears fully, keeping you toasty warm before and after your swim.
Visit FOURTH ELEMENT
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SWIM KEYCHAINS
Looking for the perfect gift for the swimmer in your life? Hand made by talented artist Roxy Eversden, these delightfully cute keychains feature unique designs guaranteed to bring personality and fun to any bunch of keys. We've got three to give away.
Visit LITTLE HUG GIFTSHOP
OTTER POLAR HAT
Keep your head warm when the temperature drops with the new Polar Hat from our good friends at Otter. As stylish as it is toasty warm, your bonce will love you for it.
Visit OTTER DRYSUITS
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VOBSTER QUAY MEMBERSHIPS
Win a full 12-months of membership to the UK's friendliest open water swimming venue! Start or extend your membership - we've got three memberships to give away!
Visit MEMBERSHIP INFO