Spare a thought for these brave souls who plunged into Lough Macnean on Christmas morning in order to raise funds for a special local charity.

Fifty brave paddlers gathered on Lough Macnean peir in Blacklion on Christmas morning and ran at full speed into the ice cold water.

It was the Macnean Icebreakers' twenty-third annual plunge.

This year the chosen charity was Ellie's Retreat.

Ellie's Retreat is a special caravan retreat at Castle Archdale for parents who are grieving the loss of a child. It has been established by Ciara and Billy Nichol, parents of Ellie Nicholl, the eight-year-old girl from Garvary who passed away in March following a battle with an extremely rare neurological condition called H-ABC syndrome.

Mr. and Mrs. Nicholl took to Facebook to thank locals for their "phenomenol" support and fundraising effots which has helped them through "the worst days of our lives." They said: "You should be very proud of what you've achieved. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts."

Watch the MacNean Icebreakers' chilly video!