Ben’s swim - with a little help from his friends

Hucknall’s top young swimmer has been diving in to another big swim as part of his Trent Challenge.
Benjamin Staniforth swimmer trent challengeBenjamin Staniforth swimmer trent challenge
Benjamin Staniforth swimmer trent challenge

Benjamin Staniforth took to the water at Sutton’s Lammas Leisure Centre last weekend for the latest stage of his challenge for the When You Wish Upon A Star charity.

The youngster is aiming to swim the length of the River Trent in a number of events over the summer.

Over the two days he managed eight miles to add to his total but he wasn’t alone.

A group of fellow swimmers and Benjamin’s friends managed to breast-stroke, crawl and kick their way to a total of 44 and a quarter miles between them.

“We were so suprised by the distance covered by these remarkable children in such a short space of time,” said Benjamin’s mum and number one supporter, Claire. “On Sunday we had more children joining us - the youngest being five- the eldest 15.

“This group of individuals worked so hard over the six hours we were swimming.They supported each other when they were tired and they swam so hard for this amazing cause.

“Between them they exceeded their and our expectations.”

The children had heard about his challenege and came from all over to swim with Benjamin both locally and from further afield, including Lincoln and Chorley .

“Benjamin was overwhelmed by the support from his friends,” added Claire. “He has made new friends that feel like family and they will be friends forever.”

Benjamin is now 135 miles into his River Trent challenge and is training to do his last mile in the river itself on Saturday September 26.

To sponsor Benjamin visit: www.justgiving.com/claire-staniforth.