This Saturday (25th June), 12-year-old Ayushi Turner, a 1 pupil in Year 7 at Badminton School, is swimming 10 miles to raise money for Southmead Hospital Charity.
Ayushi, from Brentry in Bristol, was inspired to fundraise for the hospital by her grandad, who is an outpatient at Southmead Hospital’s Bright Satellite Dialysis Unit. He has been receiving dialysis treatment three times a week for the last four years. Money raised by Ayushi will support the Renal Department at the hospital, who give dialysis treatment to around 450 patients every week.
A challenge of this magnitude is a feat of endurance for anyone, let alone a passionate young person like Ayushi – Sarah Harrison, director of Southmead Hospital Charity
It is estimated that it will take Ayushi seven hours to complete the 644 lengths of the 25-metre Badminton indoor swimming pool. She will take just a few short refuelling breaks and will be supported and encouraged by her family and fellow pupils, some of whom will be swimming alongside her on the day.
The school will be a busy hive of activity on this day as all pupils’ achievements will be on show during ‘Celebrating Badminton Day’.
Ayushi said of the challenge: “Southmead Hospital has always been there for me and my family and the service we have received has been amazing. That’s why I wanted to do something back. I love swimming and have been training many hours, but I have never done the entire distance in one session.
“I will need the support of everyone to get me through and have asked for my playlist to be played in the pool to keep me going. My JustGiving page has been live for a little while but I’m hoping to raise a lot of money on the day!”
Sarah Harrison, director of Southmead Hospital Charity, said: “A challenge of this magnitude is a feat of endurance for anyone, let alone a passionate young person like Ayushi. We know just how much this challenge means to her and her family, and we are so grateful for her super-human support. To see her go to such lengths is simply inspiring; we can’t wait to cheer her on.”
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