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I've never understood why anyone in their right mind would dip a toe in the icy waters of the Forth on New Year’s Day, hangover or no!

In two stints at the Journal and Gazette, 2002 to 2008 and November 2022 to today, I’ve happily managed to avoid a trip to South Queensferry to find out.

January 1 is, after all, a holiday and while I might be at the laptop, I avoid driving that day – that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!

However, it always brightens up the start of the year seeing the loony dookers who do decide to take the plunge on New Year’s Day.

Only a handful of hardy locals took part in the early Loony Dooks, this one from the late 1980s, but it later became a huge event. (Pic: David Steel)

The event returned to its community-organised roots on January 1 this year, thanks to North Queensferry native Tony Pirouet.

He was crestfallen when it was announced last year that the dook had been cancelled. Within five weeks, despite having had major spinal surgery, he managed to make sure the 2023 staging went ahead – albeit he couldn’t take a dip himself.

Tony has organised the event once again for January 1, 2024 and, despite having had a hip replacement in November, he’s planning to get back in the water. It’ll be his 13th Loony Dook.

A picture he sent of one of the original dooks, taken by David Steel in the late 1980s, got me thinking about how it all started…

Tony's down the pan effort in 2019 was an award winner!

The first Dook took place on January 1, 1987, thanks to a conversation between locals in The Moorings Lounge bar during the Christmas break of 1986.

Andy Kerr and Jim Kilcullen were chatting about a different way they could celebrate New Year that year, when Jim suggested a novel hangover cure.

“Ach, let’s jump in the Forth on New Year’s Day, maybe it’ll clear the hangovers!” he said…and so the Loony Dook was born!

Soon other friends and locals decided to join in too, although only a handful of people took part in that very first staging.

The RNLI crew will be out on exercise on January 1 and will likely pop in!

During the first few years, it remained a local affair but in the 1990s the event began capturing people’s imagination and there was a gradual increase in participants and spectators.

In the late 1990s, it was included in Edinburgh’s Hogmanay publicity and it exploded after the Millenium, when the Loony Dook was filmed live by the BBC and beamed world-wide.

After topping 1000 dookers in 2009, the event became part of the official Edinburgh Hogmanay programme the following year, organised by Unique Events which ran Edinburgh's Hogmanay for Edinburgh City Council.

An admission fee was introduced for the 2011 Loony Dook which, with an additional £1 booking fee, amounted to £6. This rose £1 a year to £10 for the Loony Dook in 2016.

The community-organised Loony Dook in 2023 was a big hit.

From 2016, the ticket price included a £1 donation to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

After taking over the running of the three-day Hogmanay festival, Underbelly increased the admission fee to £11 in 2018 and then £12 in 2019. The last Loony Dook organised by Edinburgh's Hogmanay took place in 2020.

Cancelled in 2021 and 2022 due to the pandemic, although some still dooked independently, new Edinburgh Hogmanay organisers UniqueAssembly announced it was being dropped from the programme in 2023.

Having taken part in 12 dooks, until Covid interrupted the fun in 2020, Tony Pirouet was dismayed to read the news while lying in hospital...so he stepped in to save the day.

Within five weeks, he was able to return the event to its community roots – minus the charge – much to the delight of locals, who had long grumbled about the fee.

Tony was able to pull it off thanks to the generous support of people in the town and local businesses. And their continued support for the event means the Loony Dook will return on January 1, 2024.

While David Steel, who has been involved in the Loony Dook since its inception, has now stepped down as chairman of the local RNLI fundraising branch, fellow committee members have agreed to organise collection buckets on the day.

Roz Haughey from Queensferry Bakes and Cakes has signed up to set up stall once again, offering free cakes and fruit for donations – the stall raised £350 last year.

Also back on board is Craig Maison from event specialist MX Medical Ltd in Falkirk, who contacted Tony last year to offer an ambulance and five medics free of charge. He is kindly doing so again this year.

Tony said: “It’s back to being what the Loony Dook used to be – a real community event.

“Happily, the RNLI crew are on exercise in the Forth that day too so it’s all fallen into place nicely.”

Recovering from hip surgery on November 27 this year hasn’t stopped Tony organising the event – and he’s even hoping to have a dook!

He added: “I could only MC last year but I've got my bear suit ready!

“I was blown away by the response in January and I’m hoping even more people will get their fancy dress on for the 2024 dook.”

Dookers will assemble at the foreshore steps at 2pm on New Year’s Day for the dook at 2.30pm. I won’t dook but look out for my report!

Look back at Loony Dook's history in South Queensferry