“It has gone from strength to strength,” she said.
Anne-Marie, 44, said she started the group “on New Years Eve as I found it absolutely amazing”.
"The first time I tried the cold water dipping it was with a group of ladies from Donegal and the buzz I got after was indescribable,” she added.
"I just wanted to continue it on – it was so simple and natural and for mental health reasons it was fantastic. So now we have 5,000 followers on our page.
"We go out every Sunday at 11am and on the day you could get anything from 3 to 20 people.
"But I also do full moon nights throughout the year and they tend to attract more swimmers.
"They take place about once a month and we put on a fire pit, have teas, coffees and traybakes all put on for free”.
She added that unlike some other groups, their’s is “all inclusive for children, pets and basically there is no limit to age”.
She added: “In the warmer weather I encourage more families to get involved as it is a way for children to meet other children.
"The beach at Benone is such a big and safe place and it also gives adults a wee break too.
"I found that many people were nervous coming down to a big group on their own, so I encouraged them to bring their children or a pet to make it more inclusive for them. So the group just keeps getting bigger and bigger”.
Anne-Marie said that she finds Benone “a very safe beach with no rip currents” adding that she only encourages people to “stay 5 minutes
in the water”.
“And within that swimmers get a new lease of life,” she added.
"We have some people who stay the water for up to an hour but it all depends on your body temperature,” she said.
"In the past I have suffered with my mental health but since cold water dipping any medication I was on is no longer needed.
"The only way to describe cold water dipping is to say you get a massive shock from the cold water. Then your head is switching off from everything apart from the temperature so you are focussing on yourself, survival and your breathing.
“When you get over that initial shock your breathing becomes so calm and it is a form of meditation.
“It is the one time when you focus on yourself and not other people,” she added.
The fresh water advocate added “the health benefits are unreal because it strengthens your immune system”.
"Since I started I have never been sick with any colds or flus,” she said.
“In our group we have people of all ages including gym goers, footballers and runners who love what it does for them”.
