Young swim star takes part in charity challenge

Twelve-year-old Angel signed up for the St Wilfrid’s Hospice Swim the Distance challenge, where people of all ages are invited to swim a distance of their choice for a whole month, to raise money for hospice care.

Angel was swimming in memory of her Aunty, who was looked after by the St Wilfrid’s Hospice Care at Home Team. The hospice provides high-quality care and support for people across Eastbourne and the surrounding areas with life-limiting illnesses.

Swimming is a real strength for Angel, who has significant learning disabilities and other health issues such as epilepsy. Her goal was to raise £300 but with the support of family, friends, and her Summerdown School community, she reached over £400.

Angel said: ‘St Wilfrid’s nurses and doctors helped us to look after my Aunty when she was very poorly. We were able to keep her at home with us so we could give her a hug goodbye when she went to heaven. I liked having the nurses visit us and they would let me sit next to my Aunty when they were fixing her syringe and her medicines.’

Angel has swimming lessons and has passed Grade 8. She mainly swims at David Lloyd but also has lessons at the Sovereign Centre. ‘I love being in the pool,’ Angel, who undertook the challenge with her Mum’s support, said.

‘We thought I could swim about 15Km in the month, but I actually did more than 21km. We swam four to five times a week depending on how busy we were. I really enjoyed the challenge. I feel good that I did more than I thought I could and raised more money,’ she said.

Angel’s family regularly take part in St Wilfrid’s fundraising events and visit the hospice to see a memory leaf which is on display for her Aunty. ‘It’s nice for us to think and talk about her,’ Angel said.

Angel’s proud Mum, Serene, added: ‘Angel’s one interest and strength in life is swimming, so it was lovely that she could do this in memory of her Aunty, who she still misses. Her swimming teacher was super encouraging too, and we may even one day get to the national para-swimming competitions.’

St Wilfrid’s Hospice Events Fundraiser, Jemma Campbell, said: ‘We’re very grateful to everyone who signed up for Swim the Distance. They covered at least 225km between them, which is the equivalent of swimming the distance between Eastbourne and Coventry! A big thank you also to Angel for sharing her wonderful story. We hope she follows her dreams and gets to swim at national level in the future.’