Meet the West Country teen who paddles two miles to school every day
A 13 year old girl is embarking on an extraordinary fundraising challenge by paddling two miles to school for two weeks. Elsie Berriman is braving jellyfish stings, high tides and large swells as she navigates across the bay from Hayle to Carbis Bay on a board every day.
Beginning her journey at 6:30am, she swims for approximately 40 minutes to reach the other side where she then utilises the beach's outdoor showers to rinse off in her wetsuit before heading to school. Once Elsie has finished her challenge, she will have paddled a total of 20 miles over the course of 10 days.
Her goal is to raise as much funds as she can for Hayle Surf Lifesaving Club, where she is currently a 'nipper' - the term used for children aged between 7 and 13 years old. The club educates and trains individuals of all ages on how to stay safe around the coastline.
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Elsie, who has competed in surf lifesaving both locally and nationally, now aims to raise money for the club to be used for equipment purchases and clubhouse maintenance. Her remarkable effort began on Monday (September 9) and saw her cross the bay in just 38 minutes.
She has already been stung by jellyfish multiple times - including five instances yesterday (Wednesday, September 11) alone - and each day has proven to be more challenging as she contends with strong winds and rough seas. However, Elsie remains resolute in completing her challenge until the end, reports Cornwall Live.
Her mum, Beverley Berriman, expressed immense pride to CornwallLive over her daughter's resilience. "Elsie was quite nervous on the first day," Beverley revealed.
"It was quite windy and choppy and she got stung by a jellyfish which was unfortunate but she finished [her paddle] with a smile."
"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."
Due to an injury, Elsie's father was unable to accompany her on the undertaking as planned, but Beverley mentioned that Elsie is supported by a team of 15 adults from the club, who take turns ensuring her safety during the challenge.
Beverley stated with gratitude that Elsie has exceeded her initial fundraising goal of £500, having raised £954 at the time of writing. She conveyed thanks for the overwhelming support and donations they've received for Elsie's effort.
Elsie, speaking to CornwallLive about her fundraising efforts, shared: "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."
Beverley expressed her astonishment at the support received: "We are absolutely blown away by the donations," she said. "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 support Elsie's cause, you can make a donation on her JustGiving page.