Teenager battles jellyfish stings to 'surf to school' for 10 days for charity
Watch Kathy Wardle's full report
A Cornish teenager has completed a charity challenge to paddle on a board to school every day for 10 days.
Elsie Berriman, 13, has been setting off every morning before dawn to paddle the two miles across St Ives Bay. She then had to get showered and changed in a beach car park to get ready for school each day.
The teenager is a member of Hayle Surf Lifesaving Club (HSLC), and came up with the idea to raise money for new equipment.
Dozens of fellow members joined her on her final paddle, with crowds gathered at Carbis Bay to welcome her ashore.
She said: "HSLC has given me something to be passionate about, and along the way, I’ve been fortunate to make some great friendships. It's a fantastic community to be part of, and I want to give back by taking on this challenge."
Elsie paddled a total of 20 miles between Hayle and Carbis Bay. Her challenge has captured the imagination of the local community, with more than £4,000 now donated to her JustGiving fundraiser.
Captain of Hayle Surf Lifesaving Club Nick Brown said: "We’re funded entirely by memberships and charitable donations, so for Elsie to go out and raise this amount of money single handedly is unbelievable.
"We’ve taken it in turns to take care of her on the way over, but she’s the only one who’s come and done 10 days back to back."
Elsie's Dad Andrew Berriman was due to complete the challenge with Elsie, but had to pull out due to an injury.
He told ITV News: "We're just really proud. Her dedication to it and her willingness to get up and get out every morning to paddle across has just been amazing."
Elsie says the worst part of the challenge was the daily jellyfish stings she encountered.
She said: "The jellyfish stings last week were painful, I think I’ve still got scars on my hands. And the head winds were horrid, it was just water in my eyes and they were sore the rest of the day."
Despite that, the teenager says she has been overwhelmed by the support she's had.
She said: ''I was just amazed at how many people wanted to come and support me on my last paddle, it was just really nice and I felt loved really, loved by everyone.
"It's one of those things that I probably won't experience again, a real once in a lifetime thing."