A GROUP of Mornington swimmers will be participating in Cancer Council’s Daffodil Day Dip to help raise funds for cancer research.
The Mornington Bay Belles meet at Fisherman’s Beach every day at 7am for a swim or dip followed by a coffee. This will be their third consecutive year taking place in the Cancer Council fundraiser.
On 9 August, the group will hold a special community dip at Mornington Pier at 10am. Locals are encouraged to come along and support them and the cause.
Daffodil Day is held annually by Cancer Council and is one of Australia’s largest cancer fundraising campaigns. The Daffodil Dip encourages people to brave winter water temperatures throughout August to raise money for cancer research.
The Mornington Bay Belles were first formed in 2021 and began as a small group coming together for a morning swim. Now, up to 40 people participate each morning in the summer months.
Jan Mann, one of the members, said the cause is particularly meaningful as several members of the group have been affected by cancer.
“I had breast cancer back in 2019, so I’ve always been involved in doing fundraising with different charities for breast cancer,” said Mann.
“And with Daffodil Dip I thought, ‘Well, that’s perfect. I swim every day. So why not fundraise and swim at the same time?’”
More members have joined the fundraising efforts since, with a couple of members being diagnosed with breast cancer and one with lymphoma.
“Everyone’s very supportive and happy to get on board and raise some funds,” said Mann.
“From my perspective, the most important thing is to get enough money to do research so that the treatment’s better. Providing treatment that’s going to see better outcomes than we’ve had in the past.”
The Mornington Bay Belles will continue to swim or dip each day of August as part of their campaign, but their Mornington Pier event will see the group wear bright yellow tutus and hats to help raise awareness and funds.
The group will also be holding a fundraising dinner on 27 August at Safety Beach Sailing Club for people to come together and donate.
You can donate to the Bay Belles’ Daffodil Dip fundraiser at: daffodilday.com.au/fundraisers/morningtonbaybelles
First published in the Mornington News – 28 July 2026
