What is the Freezebury challenge?
Freezebury – for those adventurous enough to try it – is an annual challenge that involves getting into open, freezing water every day in February.
The challenge involves spending a certain amount of time in the freezing water, depending on the date.
For example, February 1st sees swimmers endure the cold for one minute. February 2nd, two minutes, and so on.
It’s a challenge which raises funds for charity and can take place in rivers, lakes and bodies of water across Ireland.
Who started Freezebury?
Damian Brown was one of the first to get people motivated to take on Freezebury.
Damian and his good friend, Johnny O’Connor, first came up with the idea of a swimming challenge in winter.
The pair had long advocated about the power of cold water and were experienced sea swimmers.
In 2019, Damian took on the daunting task on February 1st. Two days before the icy swim, he posted on his social media to announce it and 16 people joined in. Those 16 then pledged to do the whole of Freezebury with him.
Where does Freezebury take place?
Freezebury is an easy challenge for anyone to take on, provided you can access open water.
There’s no restrictions on where you can go swimming, it just needs to be an open stretch of water that is safe and easy enough for you to swim in.
Although the challenge started in Ireland, anyone can take part in Freezebury.
The popularity of the challenge has spread worldwide through social media with people taking part where and whenever they can.
Which charities is the challenge raising money for?
Freezebury has been a huge success in terms of raising funds for charity.
Using GoFundMe, you can raise money for a charity or a cause that is personal to you.
It couldn’t be easier to get started and raise funds on GoFundMe. You can learn all there is to know about starting a campaign here.
How to get involved with Freezebury
Freezebury is a free and easy way to raise money, provided you can access a body of water.
You need to make sure it is safe for you to enter, it is at a depth that you can swim in and the weather isn’t too hazardous on the day.
There are a certain few rules to follow for the challenge. Shorts, speedos or swimming gear must be worn and no hats, gloves or trainers are allowed.
When entering the water, you must brave it enough to be submerged up to your chest. You must also submerge your head at least once.
If you’re feeling nervous, it’s also great to take part as a group and can be a good motivator for you to carry on.
Setting up your Freezebury fundraiser
Once you’re geared up and ready to take on the chilly challenge, you can set your GoFundMe fundraiser up to raise money for your chosen cause.
Launch your fundraiser with an achievable fundraising goal, create momentum, then aim for more. Don’t worry—you can always raise your target amount later.
Create a fundraising page by explaining why it is you’re taking part in Freezebury, and say why you’re raising money. An engaging picture on the fundraiser can also go a long way.
After coming up with a title and selecting what charity you’d like to raise funds for, if it’s a charity you’re supporting, you’re good to go.
You can then begin by sharing your campaign among friends and your community, providing engaging updates as you go
Other open water fundraising challenges
If you’ve cracked Freezebury and are hungry for more, there’s many open water challenges you can do.
Open water swimathon
Open Water Swimathon takes place across the UK and includes swimming in open water. This can include lakes and lidos.
Participants raise money by pledging to swim a certain distance.
Big Beach Clean
Although not strictly an open water swimming challenge, Big Beach Clean is another good way to fundraise while doing something positive for Ireland’s seaside environments.
More information about the 2022 event: https://www.leavenotraceireland.org/register-now-for-the-big-beach-clean/
RNLI open water swim
Dunmore East RNLI Open Water Swim will take place this year, on May 28th, at 11.30am.
There are three separate swims for 18s and over: a 500m swim, 800m swim and a 1600m swim. Participants can choose to swim in any of the three swims. The 1600m swim will be first, followed by the 800m swim.
Further information can be found: https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/events/2023/may/dunmore-east-rnli-3rd-annual-open-water-swim
What are you waiting for?
GoFundMe is fast, safe and powerful. Start fundraising for your freezebury challenge today.