Leigh School students out in force for Mid-Winter swim

Children from Leigh School were among the scores of swimmers who braved chilly conditions for the Leigh Community Mid-Winter Swim.

The swim at Matheson Bay was held on June 23, the weekend immediately after New Zealand’s shortest day.

Despite being the middle of winter, the day dawned bright and sunny and the sea temperature of 17C turned out to be the warmest ever for the annual event.

This year, parents of children at Leigh School organised a sausage sizzle and home baking stall on the beach as a fundraiser for the school.

Money raised will be used to renovate a school kitchen used for teaching cookery skills.

The oldest swimmer was Averil Lovegrove, 91, who has been a regular at the event for several years.

She says it’s hard to say whether she actually looks forward to the swimming part, but it’s nevertheless a great event – typical of the community spirit in Leigh.

Emerging from the water after about 10 minutes she said it was colder than expected and she was looking forward to something from the sausage sizzle.