Still time to work up the courage for a chilly dip into 2018

Hardy souls are being given a longer than usual lie-in to help them work off their Hogmanay hangovers before they blast the blues away completely with North Sea shock tactics.

The 2018 Stonehaven, Arbroath and Carnoustie dooks are all taking place on Monday afternoon.

The events traditionally draw a good crowd of dookers, and an even larger crowd of family, friends and onlookers eager to see them take the plunge in aid of charities.

Stonehaven folk will be first to pop their toes into the water, with the community nippy dip scheduled to get under way at noon at the town harbour.

The Angus events will take place within half an hour of each other, with the Carnoustie challenge first up at 2.30pm.

Organised by the town’s rugby club, the traditional start to the event features a rugby ball being kicked into the sea before dookers throw themselves into the waves in a bid to be the first to claim it.

Soup and prizes will be handed out at a family event in the lounge of the Kinloch Arms Hotel after the event.

The 2018 dook will have special poignancy for all connected with the club thanks to a collection being taken for the charity established by Scottish rugby legend Doddie Weir following his diagnosis of motor neurone disease.

Doddie Weir’5 Discretionary Trust – the name a nod to his rugby shirt number – was established by the hugely popular figure after he revealed he was suffering from the degenerative condition for which there is no cure.

The player has experienced a massive global response to the foundation, which aims to raise funds to investigate the causes and potential cures for MND and make grants to individuals to enable them to live their lives as fully as possible.

In Arbroath, dookers will raise funds for Cancer Research UK when they brave the waters of the harbour at 3pm.

Anyone over the age of six can take part but under-18s must be accompanied by an adult.

Registration will be from 2pm at the RNLI shed, with online forms available at anguscruk@ yahoo.com The Dundee-based BT contact centre sales team has boosted the work of an Angus charity after holding a staff raffle for a Christmas hamper, which raised £459.

At the BT Bell Street centre the funds were presented to Dorothy Archer, Margaret Akhtar and Linda Rose of Adoption and Fostering Group Angus. The money will go towards a trip to Flamingoland in April. Picture: Wallace Ferrier.