A Hodnet girl made waves for a good cause after a swim raised hundreds of pounds for charity.
Elly McGrath swam across Bala Lake in North Wales with her uncle Michael Redwood in August.
Family and friends watched the 12-year-old former Hodnet Primary School pupil complete the four mile swim which raised more than £1,200 for Help the Heroes, Cancer Research UK and Market Drayton’s Dysphasia Support Group.
Elly, a member of Market Drayton Swimming Club, started training in April at a reservoir in Waters Upton where her uncle lives.
She said: “I decided to do it last year when my uncle said ‘why don’t you swim Bala Lake with me?’
“I have a friend whose family was supported by Help the Heroes, my grandma is a member of the Dysphasia Support Group and because they do a really good job, I’ve always liked Cancer Research UK.
“There were seven people doing it, split into three groups, and I was the youngest person there.
“This boat was watching me like a hawk but I wanted to get to the end because I’d trained for so long and I didn’t want to give up.”
Elly raised the money by writing to and visiting a number of Market Drayton businesses who she said were “really enthusiastic” about sponsoring her.
She also received donations from family, friends and her former primary school.
“It was stressful and there was a lot of commitment because you couldn’t just miss training for one day if it was cold,” Elly said.
“The day itself didn’t start off too bad, but then it started to rain and the water got quite choppy so it was hard.
“It was good to have my uncle there and I couldn’t have done it without him.”
Elly’s mother Jayne McGrath, of Drayton Road, Hodnet, said: “We were really excited and fully behind her because we thought it was a great thing to do.
“She worked really hard to get ready for it and watching her in the middle of the lake was really nerve-racking, but she was fantastic.
“We were very proud of her doing the swim but we were more proud that she raised all of the £1,200 herself.”
Elly’s grandmother and Dysphasia Support Group chairman Pat McGrath said: “She did an absolutely amazing job and we’re so proud of her.”
By Winston Brown