A TEENAGER from Rednock School has smashed her target in a marathon swim event, raising hundreds of pounds in the process.

Sophia Staddon, 13, was hoping to swim at least 80 lengths of Dursley Swimming Pool in an hour on Tuesday, February 18 to raise funds for a defibrillator for the school.

However the keen swimmer from Kingshill Road in Dursley was able to complete 124 lengths and her impressive efforts have ensured that an estimated £300 has been raised.

Sophia is a member of the Dursley Dolphin swimming club and has competed at county level, specialising in long-distance.

Despite her experience, she said she swam a lot further than she had expected to.

“I would like to thank Angela Gillingham and the lifeguards at Dursley Pool for allowing me to use their facility for my swim, my mum who helped me organise everything and all the people who made donations and made my swim worthwhile,” she said.

Her efforts will take a sizeable chunk out of the £1,500 her community at the school is attempting to raise in order to buy a defibrillator.

Each year the communities at the school choose a charity to raise money for and this year they decided they would attempt to buy the life-saving equipment following high profile cases of cardiac arrests.

Sophia’s mother Mary said she was very pleased with her daughter’s achievement.

“I think she was humouring me when she said she would attempt 80 lengths,” she said.

“We think we will raise in excess of £300. People just keep donating, which is fantastic.”

If you would like to donate forms can still be found at the Courtyard Clinic on Parsonage Street.