PTSD UK's Dip a Day December 2025

It’s no secret that cold water swimming, cold water therapy, focusing on a challenge and simply being active is great for your mental health and provides many wellbeing benefits. Whether it gives you space to be at peace, connects you to the world around you, gives you that post-dip buzz, or gives you a reason to see your friends, PTSD UK’s Dip a Day December is a perfect opportunity to try something new, improve your own wellbeing and support the work PTSD UK does.

You don’t need to be a swimmer or open water expert to take part – there are lots of ways you can get involved. Whether it’s a cold shower to start your day, a paddling pool in your garden or a dip at the local beach, there’s an option for everyone to take part.

Entry to the challenge is just £16 and as our way of saying thank you for your support, every entrant will receive a free bespoke PTSD UK Dip a Day December beanie hat to keep you cosy while you’re having a splash (or to keep you cosy afterwards!)

The challenge

Completing PTSD UK’s Dip a Day December Challenge is simple, and there are two options:

• DIP A DAY DECEMBER Full Cold Water Challenge – you need to dip in cold water at least once each day during the month of December.
• DIP A DAY DECEMBER 12 days of Christmas Challenge - you need to dip in cold water on at least 12 different days during the month of December.

What constitutes as a ‘dip’ is up to you – this event is designed to be accessible to everyone, so if you want to end your morning shower with a 30 second cold blast (trust us, that’s enough!) or be in the ocean as an experienced swimmer – it’s up to you.

We are relying on the honour system for this challenge – there is no need to ‘prove’ to us that you completed each day’s dip – although we’d love to see your photos as you go! Especially photos of you in your bespoke PTSD UK Dip a Day December beanie hats!

Fundraising

PTSD UK’s Dip a Day December Challenge is a great way to help raise awareness of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD UK and the work we do – plus, it’s an amazing way to fundraise to help support our mission.

There is no required minimum fundraising amount – simply raise as much as you can! How you raise and collect this money is up to you - you could set up a fundraising page on an online platform such as Facebook Fundraisers, Give As you Live, or Just Giving. They help you see your fundraising total, make it easy for your sponsors to add Gift Aid to their donations, and the money raised will get sent straight to us.

Alternatively, or in addition, if you’d like to raise funds offline we’ve got sponsorship forms which might be of use, or if you collect cash donations, you can find out how to pay them into us here.

Your PTSD UK Dip a Day December Goodie Bag

Once you’re all signed up, we’ll be sending you out a goodie bag of PTSD UK merchandise (including a bespoke PTSD UK Dip a Day December beanie hat) to help you shout loud and proud about the amazing thing you’re doing!

Your safety

It’s VITAL that if you’re taking part in this challenge, that your main priority is SAFETY. Please be sure to read and fully understand our Cold Water Safety Guidance and our T&Cs before signing up to and starting this challenge.

So, how do I get involved?

Step 1: Read the cold water safety guidance and T&Cs of the challenge, then sign up online by paying the £16 registration fee.

Step 2: Set up your fundraising page (perhaps through Give As you Live, Just Giving or Total Giving for example)

Step 3: Ask friends, family, and co-workers to support you with a donation – or to join the PTSD UK Dip a Day December Challenge themselves!

Step 4: Do your dips in December! When you're dipping, perhaps post your updates, selfies and videos to social media to encourage even more awareness and donations!

Step 5: Feel proud that you have raised awareness and funds to help support PTSD UK!

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WHO ARE PTSD UK?

PTSD UK is the only charity in the UK dedicated to raising awareness of post-traumatic stress disorder – no matter the trauma that caused it. We believe that supportive and reliable knowledge really is power when it comes to PTSD. If you understand the types of trauma that can cause PTSD, the physical, mental and emotional symptoms that are experienced, and, most importantly, the treatments that can help you, then you’ll be able to start down the path to recovery when you’re ready.

We know first-hand that PTSD can make you feel helpless, alone and isolated from those around you. So, we hope that knowing that someone understands a little more about it, is able to empathise with how you feel and will be patient with you, will help you feel more in control and ready to tackle it head on.

PTSD UK is here to provide resources and tools to inspire empowerment and resilience in everyone affected by PTSD, to help them work towards recovery. We campaign to raise awareness of the condition, reach out to high-risk communities, help shape UK healthcare policies, and give everyone the belief that ‘Tomorrow CAN be a new day‘.

Research shows that 10% of people will experience PTSD at some point in their lifetime – but it’s estimated that up to 70% of people with PTSD in the UK do not receive any professional help at all:

Some people may realise they are struggling to cope after a trauma, but are unaware they have PTSD. They may feel that their symptoms are just part of their life now – even if they’re debilitating and affecting every part of their life.

For others who have a PTSD diagnosis, they may not know that treatments to help them recover are available. Just over a decade ago, people still thought that PTSD was an incurable condition, but more recent evidence and research proves it is possible for PTSD and C-PTSD to be successfully treated many years after the traumatic event occurred – but the treatment options for PTSD are not as well-known as they need to be.

Additionally, people with PTSD are often misdiagnosed as they can develop additional disorders such as depression, substance abuse, problems of memory and cognition, and other problems of physical and mental health. These ‘co-morbid’ conditions are what gets diagnosed, and the PTSD is left to get worse in many cases.

For many people however, they’re simply unable to articulate how they feel, or feel able to reach out for help.

Our charity aims to raise awareness of PTSD in three main areas – it’s causes, symptoms and the treatments available. These 3 areas are of vital importance to those suffering with the condition.

• Causes: Many people have pre-conceived ideas of PTSD, and what can cause it. There is a widespread misunderstanding that PTSD only affects veterans, or those in the armed forces (likely due to it’s previous name of shell-shock) but it can infact affect anyone, of any age. It’s vital that people are aware if they (or a friend or family member) have suffered a trauma, they should be mindful of trauma symptoms, and the possibility of PTSD.
• Symptoms: There are two areas in which knowing the symptoms of PTSD are useful. The first is that people may recognise the symptoms in themselves (or a friend or family member) and reach out for help – starting their recovery process. The other is those who are suffering with PTSD, can understand that what they’re thinking or feeling, or how their body is reacting, is ‘normal’ for someone with PTSD – this can be of huge comfort knowing that once the PTSD is resolved, those symptoms will be too. Some symptoms of PTSD can feel totally unconnected to the original trauma or the condition itself, so it’s really important people can recognise just how PTSD can affect them.
• Treatments: PTSD is a misunderstood condition in many ways. Information about the treatments available is lacking and, at times incorrect. Just over a decade ago, people still thought that PTSD was an incurable condition, but more recent evidence and research proves it is possible for PTSD and C-PTSD to be successfully treated many years after the traumatic event occurred, which means it is never too late to seek help. NICE guidelines recommend EMDR and CBT as the main options for the treatment of PTSD and there are also a variety of therapies and activities than can help ease PTSD symptoms while you wait for treatment.

In addition to those suffering (and those around them), it’s vital that healthcare professionals are aware of all of these elements to look out for in their patients to avoid misdiagnosis, incorrect treatments and lack of the best resources for their patients.

What PTSD UK does

Raising Awareness and being a voice for people with PTSD We produce and distribute supportive, reliable, high-quality and easy to understand resources, tools and information which are all backed by science and research. These help everyone (including Government, Medical professionals and the general public) understand the causes, symptoms and treatments available for PTSD with the hope that people will be more understanding and informed, and know more about the daily reality of living with PTSD. We also work with the media (reviewing and informing scripts etc) to ensure accurate, non-stereotypical and informed portrayal of PTSD in films, radio and television and have already collaborated with script writers from a variety of different productions including ITV’s Emmerdale, a number of BBC dramas and documentaries, and a new Warner Bros International film.

Provide resources to help empower those who need hope We support and hope to empower people affected by PTSD (along with their friends, family and carers) by providing knowledge, lived-experiences and resources to help them reach out for help, take control of their diagnosis, access the support and care they are entitled to, make informed choices, all to lead towards successful, sustained treatment and recovery for them or their loved one. Tomorrow CAN be a new day.

Listening Whether someone simply needs to offload their thoughts, direction on how to get help, or just know that they are not alone, we are here to provide resources and a warm welcome (even over email!) with compassion, experience, and hope that Tomorrow can be a new day.

Improving Services and support We have experienced, and recognise the gaps in the current service provisions for people with PTSD in the UK, so we work with, and campaign to, the Government, organisations, policies and guidelines relating to the care and awareness of those with PTSD, ensuring that we’re all driving towards the same goal – that PTSD is recognised, diagnosed and effectively treated as quickly as possible for everyone.

Research We promote, undertake and collate research that can answer vital questions about PTSD and how people affected can be supported, and how treatments and care can be evaluated, improved and be made more accessible.

Sharing the knowledge Our resources are used by a variety of health professionals, organisations and other charities – we want the knowledge about PTSD to be as far reaching as possible so we always offer interviews and case studies to media outlets, research papers and projects where possible. Our information and resources are referenced by a variety of organisations and publications including The Economist, BBC, ITV, The Independent, Women’s Health, CNN, Huffington Post, The Metro, The Week and The Big Issue.

Reaching Out We don’t expect people just to find us – sometimes, we need to go to them. We reach out and establish links with high-risk communities across the UK such as the Emergency Services, Rape Crisis Centres, and Victim Support Services along with other charities which support people who are at risk of PTSD such as parents of children with disabilities.

Thank you for supporting PTSD UK - we look forward to seeing your photos from the challenge!