Invitation to do what Dookers do!
Dookers (people from Tarbert) are being encouraged to do what Dookers do and join in the New Year’s Day Dook at midday.
The new tradition for the village was launched three years ago after cold water swimming experienced a surge in popularity during lockdown.
Hazel Dale, who grew up in Clachan, organised the event after pondering, “why is the village of Dookers not doing a dook?”.
Hazel lives in Erskine but loves coming home to Kintyre for the holidays.
She said: “I took up cold water swimming during lockdown when my mental health was under pressure and I really enjoyed it. There are massive benefits.
“I always looked at places like Dundee doing dooks on New Year’s Day and wondered, why is the village of Dookers not doing a dook? “The first year there were maybe 10 of us in total, last year between 25 – 30.
“It’s one of those ones, where more people came to
Lochgilphead High School football teams are sporting new strips thanks to sponsors MacLeod Construction Ltd.
The senior girls are pictured sporting their new strip, which they should have played in on Monday December 18 in round one of the National Cup but unfortunately the match had to be postponed until the new year after the A83 was closed the morning of the match, preventing the other team from attending.
The junior girls’ team, however, have already powered their way through to the SPAR National Cup final having won the local and regional heats in October.
Andrew Rossiter, principal teacher PE, health and well-being and art, said: “The watch us go out in the water than took part. I’m hoping more people will give it a go.”
The swim takes place at Portavadie ferry terminal at midday. The boat is off and the terminal is “reasonably sheltered” promised Hazel.
She also advised a dook is a great hangover cure, but added: “It will kill it or cure it!”
Fancy dress is very much encouraged, although not essential. Hazel hopes that more sponsorship has provided us with much-needed new kits for our junior and senior girls’ and boys’ football and shinty teams.
“Our biggest problem now is getting transport to games and we have various events going on throughout the year to raise funds to cover transport costs.
“Girls football has been popular for a while in the school although we always seem to be short of a goalkeeper!” he added.
Peter Laing of Lochgilphead has sponsored all of the school’s match balls this year.
The photograph also shows MacLeod’s representative John McKellar, left, and head teacher of Lochgilphead Joint Campus Jay Helbert.
Tarbert folk will take part this year and would like to see the event take off.
She said: “They are Dookers. They should therefore be dooking.”
The Anchor Hotel and Seabed Restaurant is providing hot soup and drinks for donations to the chosen charity, which will again be for the Pensioners’ Christmas Dinner.
Minard is also holding a New Year’s dook from the shore at the traffic lights at 11am.