Daventry schoolgirl takes plunge to help Great Ormond Street Hospital

Daventry schoolgirl Grace Davies has dived in at the deep end to help sick children.

Ten-year-old Grace, who attends Ashby Fields Primary School, is the first to admit she is not a big swimmer.

But this hasn't stopped her taking on a 5km challenge to help sick children at Great Ormand Street Hospital this month.

Her dad, Jon, said: "Grace has never done anything like this before and the most she has swum is 100 metres.

"At the start her goal was to raise £50, but she’s on track to exceed £500 via her Facebook fundraiser."

He said Grace is "hammering out the meters" in spite of pool session cancellations.

Jon added: "She should complete the challenge by the end of March in spite of the hurdles."

Grace wanted to help the hospital after hearing about her dad's friends' children.

Jon said: "I have several friends who have had young children transported to Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) from Northampton General for life-saving treatment.

"I mentioned that I had seen this challenge on Facebook and was thinking about doing it. Grace overheard me talking about it and said that she wanted to do it, which was a big surprise for my wife and I as she’s not a swimmer.

"She was excited to start the challenge and we went for a few practice swims before the challenge started on March 1."

Grace would like to thank everybody who has supported her.

Her fundraiser link is: https://www.facebook.com/donate/702885194424462/