Ben gets in swim for Haiti (From The Bolton News)

Ben gets in swim for Haiti

6:13am Monday 8th February 2010

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AN inspirational young swimmer has won praise from a national charity after raising hundreds of pounds for children in earthquake-stricken Haiti.

Ben Hornby’s swimming instructor was surprised and delighted when the eight-year-old asked if he could keep going at the end of his lesson.

While his friends spent the last part of their session enjoying play time in the pool, Ben stayed in one side to swim 40 lengths in half an hour.

He has already raised £300 for the cause, and donations are still coming in.

Ben, who was moved by TV news reports of the disaster, was inspired to raise the cash by Charlie Simpson, a seven-year-old from London who has raised almost £200,000 for Haiti with a sponsored bike ride around his local park.

Ben’s mum Barbara, aged 38, of Moorside Avenue, Heaton, said: “I’m really chuffed with him. My heart was just melted when I came to pick him up and he was there, just swimming up and down, up and down.

“I can’t believe he’s done this.”

Ben, a pupil at St Thomas of Canterbury School in Heaton, said: “I decided to ask my swimming instructor if I could swim as far as possible during my Saturday morning lesson because I thought it was really important to raise money for the children in Haiti.

“I did it and swam 40 lengths in half an hour, which was really hard.”

Ben’s money will go to Save the Children’s Emergency Response Fund, which pays for the likes of food, water, water purification tablets, medical supplies and shelters.

His campaign has been boosted by staff at Save the Children, who were so touched by his idea that they have named him volunteer of the month and helped double his total.

Readers can donate via Ben’s JustGiving web page at justgiving.com/ benhornby.

julian.thorpe@ theboltonnews.co.uk

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