A nine-year-old philanthropist in the making swam the equivalent distance of the English Channel to raise money for a spinal injury charity after spotting an advert for the challenge at her local pool.
Ella Pickstock, of Chester Road, Helsby, has so far raised £180 by taking part in the Aspire Channel Swim Challenge to help people paralysed by spinal cord injury lead independent lives.
The St Luke’s RC Primary School pupil swam 22 miles over eight weeks, four weeks earlier than the 12 week time limit, and averaged around 236 lengths a week at various pools around the area.
Ella said: “I was swimming one day and I saw a banner at the swimming pool advertising the challenge and I just thought I would love to do that.
“At first my parents weren't so sure as they said I would have to give up a lot of free time and they were worried I would get bored, but when they realised I was serious they agreed and helped me to sign up online.
“ I am really proud and so pleased. I kept checking the amount I had raised online and I would get really excited each time it increased.
The youngster was so dedicated to her cause that she even gave up attending Frodsham Junior Youth Club on Friday evenings to get lengths in at the swimming pool.
She said: “Every time my mum was free to take me swimming and the pool was open I would go.
“On the Aspire website you had to log your lengths and that would convert it to miles for you with a little map that showed you how many miles you had done and how many were left to swim. Every time I got closer to Calais on the map I wanted to go swimming again to get closer still.”
Ella loved doing the challenge, so much so that she said she ‘would quite like to be able to carry on with it’, and will ‘definitely’ do more fundraising in the future.
Ella is urging other children who are thinking of doing some fundraising to ‘do it - it’s a brilliant thing to do’.
Ella’s mum Michelle Pickstock said: “"We are so proud of Ella for taking on this swimming challenge, and the determination she has shown to complete it. We'd like to thank everyone who has kindly sponsored her.”
If you would like to sponsor Ella, visit