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11-year-old schoolgirl splashes the cash in swim fundraiser

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Inspired by her Olympic heroes Alice Dearing, Adam Peaty and Michael Phelps, 11-year-old Amelia Smith is on a mission to get more Croydon children swimming.

In the swim: Amelia Smith has raised more than £1,300 to help others learn to swim

Smith has loved swimming since her first visit to her local pool when just six months old. Over time she has continued to work on her technique and has entered the world of competitive swimming.

After a recent conversation with her parents, she discovered that many children cannot swim and she has decided to do something about it by launching a fundraiser to support and help more children in Croydon learn how to swim.

To date, she has raised more than £1,300 and received a range of support from a wide range of donors.

Smith kick-started this initiative in partnership with South Croydon Swimming Club, whose former head coach is John Mills, who swam for Britain at the 1972 and 1976 Olympic Games.

Smith has seen the campaign increase, with 20 additional swimmers now part of the programme.

Going the extra length: the swimathon started yesterday

This week, they are taking part in a sponsored Swimathon at St Joseph’s College, where they will swim more than 100 lengths each afternoon to raise funds to be able to offer disadvantaged children from the local community the opportunity to be helped by South Croydon Swimming Club to learn how to swim and perhaps take up swimming competitively.

“Swimming is a sport that changes and saves lives, and I want to raise awareness about the benefits of swimming,” Smith told Inside Croydon.


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