Jellyfish stings on the way: 13-year-old girl surfs to school every day (4 photos)

Elsie Berryman swam 20 miles in 10 days to help the lifesaving club that has been her second home since she was a child.





Elsie Berryman, 13, surfs to school from Hayle to Carbis Bay in Cornwall, England every day. The schoolgirl is often stung by jellyfish, but she has no intention of stopping her marathon.

The girl gets up before the sun to get into the water at 06:30am and braves the sea for about an hour before arriving at her school at around 07:45am. Elsie uses the showers on the beach before changing her gear and heading off to class. The 13-year-old is doing it to raise money for her favourite lifesaving club in Hayle (Hayle Surf Life Saving Club).



The girl swam 20 miles (32 km) in 10 days. Having smashed her fundraising targets, Elsie has raised £2,045, but she's not ready to stop yet, despite the jellyfish stings.

"Hale Surf Lifesaving Club has given me something to be passionate about and I've been lucky enough to make some amazing friendships along the way. It's a fantastic community to be a part of and I want to give back by taking on this challenge," she said.





The brave schoolgirl's dad, Andrew Berryman, 43, is proud of his daughter.

"We were really surprised by how generous people were. We didn't set out to raise so much money - it was just a small fundraiser - but it seemed to really capture people's imaginations. I think it was because she's 13 and she's been doing this every day for two weeks. The conditions were really bad too, but she didn't give up. She's always loved the water, she grew up by the sea. This is a place she knows well and she's a confident swimmer," he said.



Each morning, Elsie enters the water with at least two or three club members who ensure her safety. She said the idea for the fundraiser came about after the club raised money earlier this year to buy two-person skis, which are expensive equipment. The young girl was inspired to paddle to school, and after talking to her father, they put the idea into action. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing.

“Elsie gets stung every day, and so do other members,” a lifeguard said.

The girl plans to complete her swim next Friday, September 20, weather permitting and safe conditions.