ROMSEY students are celebrating raising hundreds of pounds for charity after swimming the length of the English Channel.

Halterworth School had organised to swim the equivalent of the Isle of Wight and back in a pool in a bid to raise money for Sport Relief.

The target they needed to hit was a total of 320 lengths of the pool, with a total of 28 children taking part.

After starting, the youngsters managed to swim a total of 1,356 lengths, with a total distance of 21.18 miles.

The shortest distance from England to France across the Channel is 21 miles.

The final total for Sport Relief hasn't yet been tallied up by the school, but hundreds of pounds has been raised.

Nicky Millard, from Halterworth School, said: "The children were amazing! Our swimathon has raised hundreds for Sports Relief.

"There was a fantastic atmosphere with lots of parents helping and cheering on with words of encouragement, and the children were so focused and determined.

"Many of them were thrilled with how far they managed to swim – as were a lot of the parents!

"I hope this has given them a real sense of achievement and something to be truly proud of, and confidence in themselves."

All of the children were given a certificate for their achievements, with some swimming more than a mile individually.

Medals were also passed out after the swim that took place at Shirley Pool, who donated the use of the pool for an hour, for free.

One Year Six pupil swam a total of 112 lengths, which works out at almost two miles. Seven of the Halterworth School swimmers totalled more than a mile with their lengths.

The entire total for Sport Relief will be announced later this evening (Friday 23).

The fundraising campaign helps to raise money for vulnerable people both in the UK and the world's poorest countries.

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