01/01/2017 South Today

Good evening to you - I'm Laura Trant with

A group set up to promote the health benefits of cold water swimming took

a dose of their own medicine today - when they plunged

Members of Swimming Against Depression say it helps

people deal with stress - and gets them off

The group wants to raise awareness of the benefits -

and eventually set up a natural health centre by the sea.

It's definitely not for the faint hearted.

But the people who went for dip at Avon Beach in Mudeford today

are convinced swimming in cold water really does help them tackle

How was that? Amazing. Brilliant. It is amazing, it is very cold today.

But it is really good. Amy Moule says she set up the group

Swimming Against Depression after I woke up in the morning and

sometimes I have had a bad night, bad dreams, and I would feel low and

I am thinking, I have got to change this so I get down to the beach and

get into the sea and yes, almost immediately start feeling better.

Whether you suffer with depression or not, it even slight anxiety, you

do this, you can do anything. Some of Amy's inspiration came

from a BBC programme called "The Doctor Who Gave Up Drugs" -

Dr Chris Van Tulleken looked at research at Portsmouth University -

which analyses the effect of low It is exhilarating. You're

experiencing what ever -- that every open water swimmer says. That skin

stimulation releases adrenaline and gets all your stress hormones up. I

thought that was brilliant. I want to get other people doing it as

well. Today some people just put

a toe in the water - but Amy is hoping many of them

will soon become regular swimmers. Two men have been arrested after

a spate of knife-point robberies Four incidents happened

on Friday and yesterday in the Paulsgrove area -

cash and mobile phones A robbery at a Spar shop nearby,

on Wednesday evening Two men in their forties,

both from Portsmouth, Ambulances services in the south had

a busier than usual new year. South East Coast Ambulance Service

warned yesterday that it was struggling to get to some patients

in the required time, It says crews worked flat out,

focusing on life-threatening calls. They attended 300 more

incidents this New Year's Three quarters of passengers

on the Southern rail network say they don't support ongoing strike

action, according to a new survey carried out by the Association

of British Commuters. Today is the second day

of the latest three day But the Association -

formed by passengers - argues that its members are more

angry about ongoing disruption on the network -

which they say began long before While people do support the unions,

as in what they are trying to do and what they believe in,

they just find it difficult to support the strike action,

particularly given the message that comes from some in the government

saying that all the disruption that is happening is

because of strikes. Several thousand people saw

in New Year in the open air last The historical re-enactment group,

the Wimborne Militia fired a salute at the stroke of midnight,

before dancing began. Let's find out how the weather

is looking for the start of 2017. We still have some rain,

it is gradually clearing towards the south but for most of us

tonight, particularly further south Further north, we could see clear

skies and there could be a touch of frost rurally,

but most towns and cities It means a chilly start

to the day tomorrow, once any cloud and rain clears

from the south it should be dry and clear and beautiful,

lots of sunshine. It will feel noticeably colder,

struggling up to four or 5 degrees. That sets us up for a cold night,

Monday into Tuesday, widespread frost, even towns

and cities dipping below freezing. Tuesday dry and bright,

more cloud as we head towards next weekend but actually the week should

be largely dry. Our next updates

are in BBC Breakfast. For many, New Year's Day was a

shocker with all of that rain around. Tomorrow will be sunny, but

it is getting colder. This is rain clearing from the south-east. These

specks of white as snow mixed in with showers across parts of

northern England, particularly across Scotland, low levels here. I

say that they hazard in northern and eastern areas. I would not rule out

slippery areas almost anywhere by the morning, by which time

temperatures will be close to or below freezing in many places. A

bright and sunny start, but still wintry showers, sliding down the

North Sea coast. Some snow down at quite low levels to the north of

Scotland. Here, the snow will turn to rain. Something milder creeping

in off