Denise's Skinny Dip Challenge

Hello everyone,

In May, the morning of the First Ladies Night for The Scott Martin Foundation - ‘Mum’s Night Off’ - I embraced my fear of cold, dark and deep open water and done my first cold water dook.

When I tell you it has changed my life, I am truly not exaggerating. The physical, emotional and mental wellbeing it was given me is better than anything I have tried to come to terms with my own loss and I’m so glad that I took the leap of faith to try it.

At first I was dooking once a week, then quickly that increased to 3 times a week.

By the summer, I wanted to do a multi-dook day which I did on the 14th of August, along the beautiful Fife Coast. I had a stunning day for it and dooked at 5 different locations and by that point I’d dooked consecutively for 11 days.

I gave myself a personal challenge (suggested by a friend…you know who you are!) to do 30 cold water dooks in a row and I’ve kept going. I’m now at day 75 in a row and some of them have been multi-dook days, some only 1 dook, but thus far, they have all been in either the sea, a quarry, a reservoir, loch, lagoon, river or waterfall. I have a cold pod for when the weather doesn’t allow me to travel but I have very little intention of using it…only if it would help me keep my streek going…and speaking of streek…a wee idea germinated to do a skinny dip for a charity that’s close to my heart and that is The Scott Martin Foundation.

The water is getting increasingly colder - fresh water is always colder that sea water and running water - such as a river or waterfall is the coldest - but my pledge is to have my shoulders under for a minimum of 3 minutes.

So, on the 31st of December, on day 150 of consecutive dooking, I plan to do a skinny dip at a secret, scenic location to raise funds for Scott’s Charity. There will be tasteful photographic evidence that I have completed this challenge.

So please dig deep (pardon the pun) and give even £1 to such a worthy cause.

With love,

Denise ‍♀️

xxx

The Scott Martin Foundation: Supporting Youths Through Mental Health In Loving Memory Of Scott Lionheart Martin