Young swimmer Molly Roberts is celebrating after ‘swimming the Channel’.
But the nine-year-old didn’t risk the shipping lanes between Dover and Calais.
She took to the swimming pools at Brighouse and Rishworth School to clock up an amazing 22 miles.
And she has managed to raising more than £300 for a charity which aims to help people paralysed by spinal cord injuries.
For 10 weeks Molly has been swimming lengths of the two pools to clock up a distance equivalent to swimming the English Channel from Dover to Calais.
She was inspired to do the challenge after completing a 1,000m distance swim as part of the summer swimming programme offered at her local pool.
Bitten by the swimming bug, she wanted to do more and when she saw the Aspire challenge advertised, she decided she would like to swim the channel for charity.
She had 12 weeks to complete the 22-mile challenge and actually managed to swim 26.5 miles in the time.
Molly, who is nine and goes to Woodhouse Primary School in Brighouse, said: “I really enjoy swimming, but it’s been hard to do it sometimes, so I’m really pleased that I kept going and raised so much money.”
Her mum Fiona added: “Molly’s original target was to raise £100, but thanks to the generosity of friends and family she has smashed her target and raised a total of £325.
“We are very proud of her efforts, and she has already signed up for the Sports Relief swimathon in March next year.”
Every eight hours, someone in the UK is paralysed by spinal cord injury. Aspire is a charity that exists because there is no cure for these injuries.
The fundraising from the Aspire Channel Swim helps to provide practical support so people with spinal cord injuries can lead active and independent lives.
More information about the Aspire Channel Swim is at www.aspirechannelswim.co.uk
