Dan finds his sea legs for his dozen December dips

A TYNESIDE man had an unusual start to Christmas Day as he braved the sea on a mission to raise money for a charity close to his heart.

- CATHERINE ADDISON-SWAN

Dan Wales-Hart, 33, who lives in Tynemouth, has taken on a challenge to set foot in the sea a dozen times throughout December, with yesterday's Christmas Day dip notching up number nine.

He joined other steely swimmers on Cullercoats Bay taking to the freezing North Sea, in the hope of adding to his total of funds raised for a good cause.

He is raising money for Prostate Cancer Research, a charity carrying out research and treatments to “create a future where prostate cancer no longer threatens lives”. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in UK men, and around one in eight men will get it in their lifetime.