Last weekend, Horse World contributor Noel Mullins joined 400 more men for the Annual Dickie Dip swim in the Irish Sea off Skerries wearing only a Dickie Bow, perish the thought.

“Many were, like myself, a cancer survivor, while many others were doing it on behalf of members of their family and friends,” Noel said.

“My story is like that of so many other people who have lost family and friends to this cruel disease, in my case my three other siblings, my two sisters, Geraldine and Irene, my brother, Maurice, and my mother, Mary J, to cancer.

“But that evening, on a more positive note, members of our family attended the awards ceremony of Triathlon Ireland, where my late brother, Maurice, who is also known as ‘The Father of Ultra Running in Ireland’, was inducted into the Triathlon Hall of Fame, as he brought the first triathlon to Ireland 40 years ago, which was held in Skerries.”

The 400 Dickie Dip swimmers braving the cold sea on Saturday have so far raised more than €150,000 for the Mater Hospital Foundation Cancer Care, and that is only on last weekend’s swim.

Noel continued: “Guest of honour was Matt Davis, who is only 47 years of age with a young family, who is receiving a new cancer drug that he hopes will save his life.

“The message is to get checked out regularly, as early detection can lead to successful treatment. You can also make a contribution via my fundraising page, justgiving.com/fundraising/noel1697883926499, as who knows, the Mater Hospital Cancer Care may help you or a family member or friend in the future as they did for me in 2018.

“They did such a good job on me that I completed the Dublin City Marathon 10 months later with my daughter, Sheila, when I was 75 years of age.”