Eight-year-old Newport girl 'swims the channel' for cancer charity in memory of her uncle

Sara Bradshaw, eight, wanted to raise money for the charity after her uncle, Huw Walters, died in January last year.

A keen swimmer, the St Joseph’s Primary School pupil set herself the challenge of swimming the length of the channel - 44.25 kilometres.

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“I felt really sad when my uncle died. I wanted to do something for him so I could always remember him while doing something to help other people," said Sara.

“It feels amazing to have completed it. There was a time in the middle where I didn’t think I would be able to do it.

“I was thinking of my uncle the whole way through - it’s what kept me swimming.”

Sara swam an average of 70 lengths a day, five days a week, until she completed the challenge of 1,770 lengths.

Huw Walters, Sara's uncle. Picture - Valerie Bradshaw

Her mum, Valerie Bradshaw, said: “Sara is a good swimmer so she decided she wanted to swim the channel in her uncle's memory.

“We looked up the how many lengths it would be to swim the channel, and it was 1,770.

“While she was swimming, she was asking for sponsorship for Cancer Research UK. She spoke about it in her school assembly, and all the staff and pupils at the school have been so supportive.

“Her original target was to raise £100, but she reached that really quickly. She then set a target of £300, but she’s smashed that and has raised more than £875.

“She has done the Race for Life, but never anything like this with swimming before.

“We are really proud of her and think it’s a great tribute to her uncle.”

To find out more, or if you would like to donate, you can visit Sara's JustGiving page at justgiving.com/fundraising/a-s-bradshaw