Hardy few take Christmas swim in icy German lake

Members of the Berliner Seals swimming club took their traditional Christmas plunge in Lake Oranke on Saturday, with a water temperature of 3 degrees Celsius - and an air temperature of a chilling -5.

The winter up to now was relatively mild, but a drop over the last few days made conditions perfect for a the icy dip.

Around 40 members of the club dressed up in fancy dress for the traditional plunge and jumped into the lake after a path in the icy water was cleared.

The winter swimming club meet every Sunday, normally, to swim in Lake Oranke on the edge of Berlin.

Most members spoke of the health benefits of ice or winter swimming when it is done on a regular basis.

The main wish for the New Year 2022 was peace and good health - and a return to normality, with people hoping that COVID will be less dominant towards the end of the year.