Hayle girl paddling two miles to school every day battling jellyfish and big swells


A 13-year-old girl is paddling two miles to school for two weeks in an epic fundraising challenge. Elsie Berriman is battling jellyfish stings, high tides and big swells as she paddles on a board across the bay every day from Hayle to Carbis Bay.

Starting at 6:30am, she swims for roughly 40 minutes to get to the other side where she then uses the outdoor showers on the beach to shower in her wetsuit and get ready before heading up to school. Once Elsie has completed her challenge, she will have paddled 20 miles over 10 days.

Her aim is to raise as much money as possible for Hayle Surf Lifesaving Club, where she is currently a ‘nipper’ - the group for children aged between 7 and 13 years old. The club trains and educates people of all ages to be safe in and around the coastline.

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Elsie has competed in surf lifesaving both on a local and national level and now wants to raise money for the club to spend on equipment and upkeep of the clubhouse. Her incredible effort started on Monday (September 9) and saw her cross the bay in 38 minutes.

She has already been stung by jellyfish numerous times - including five times yesterday (Wednesday, September 11) alone - and each day has proved to be tougher as she battles strong winds and choppy seas. But Elsie is determined to continue her challenge until the end.

Her mum, Beverley Berriman, told CornwallLive she is very proud of her daughter who has taken everything in her stride. “Elsie was quite nervous on the first day,” Beverley said. “It was quite windy and choppy and she got stung by a jellyfish which was unfortunate but she finished [her paddle] with a smile.

Elsie is pictured with her mum, Beverley.
Elsie is pictured with her mum, Beverley. -Credit:Greg Martin / Cornwall Live

“She has been planning this challenge since June, so she could make sure she got the tides right. I’m very proud of her. Her dad got her into surf lifesaving because that’s what he did as a teen, so that’s where Elsie got her passion from.

“Surf lifesaving is quite a special thing, it teaches children how to stay safe around the sea. So, this is Elsie’s way of giving something back to the club. It’s never a grumble to put on a wetsuit and get in the cold sea, it’s something she enjoys.”

Elsie’s dad was due to join her on the challenge but an injury meant he was unable to do so. However, Beverley said Elsie has a team of 15 adults from the club who are taking turns to support her as safety cover.

-Credit:Greg Martin / Cornwall Live
-Credit:Greg Martin / Cornwall Live

So far, the teenager has smashed her fundraising target of £500 and has raised £954, at the time of writing. Beverley said they couldn’t be more thankful to those who have donated and supported Elsie so far.

Speaking about her challenge, Elsie told CornwallLive: "It's going really really well. I've raised just under £1,000 on my JustGiving and the paddling is really fun. [Today, September 11] it was a bit choppy [in the sea] and there were loads of jellyfish. I got stung like five times. But I'm going to keep going."

“We are absolutely blown away by the donations,” Beverley added. “The original target was £200 and we smashed that so we set it to £500. It's been amazing, everyone has been so impressed by Elsie and it’s exceeded any expectations she had.”

To donate to Elsie’s fundraiser, visit her JustGiving page here.

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