Hornsea New Year's Day swim cancelled after North Sea deaths

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 23 Oct, 17:39 · Archive

Hornsea Inshore Rescue has permanently cancelled its annual New Year's Day charity swim following deaths in the North Sea. The rescue service said it can no longer justify encouraging people to enter the water during harsh January conditions.

Four people died off the Yorkshire coast this year. In January, 15-year-old Grace Keeling, her mother Sarah and passerby Mark Ratcliffe died in the sea off Withernsea. In August, 13-year-old Abdi Zubeir drowned while swimming off the Hornsea coast.

The charity described the swim as one of its biggest fundraising activities. In a statement, it said: 'As a lifesaving organisation, our first responsibility must always be the safety of our community. No amount of fundraising is worth risking a life.' The event had already been disrupted: the 2024 swim was cancelled due to high waves, with the fire service using hoses to provide a seaside shower instead, and 2025's event was called off due to sewage overflow events for which Yorkshire Water apologised.

How it is being reported

• Hornsea New Year's Day Swim cancelled after tragic deaths in North SeaHornsea Inshore Rescue announced it would no longer be hosting the New Year's Day Swim after "tragic loss of lives" in the North SeaHull Daily Mail · 23 Oct, 16:59
• Annual New Year's Day swim axed after sea deathsHornsea Inshore Rescue says the decision follows "the tragic loss of lives along our coastline".BBC Humberside · 23 Oct, 16:13

In this story: Hornsea Inshore Rescue · Grace Keeling · Sarah Keeling · Mark Ratcliffe · Abdi Zubeir · Hornsea · Withernsea · North Sea

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem