BETHANGA’S Mel Berran, 7, swam her little heart out to raise money for the Seal Swim School’s recent swim-a-thon fundraiser for Wodonga Regional Health Service.
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Mel joined 60 other swimmers for the fundraiser and swam 80 laps, raising $380 for the hospital.
Fundraiser co-ordinator Narelle McDiarmid said the swimmers ranged from one to 12 years.
“The young ones did half laps, but the older children certainly went their hardest and completed a lot of laps,” she said.
Mrs McDiarmid said to make things a little more interesting the laps were done either with normal strokes, swimming with a snorkel and flippers, using a kick board or back-bubble.
She said the goal of the fundraiser was also to raise awareness of how important breath control was in swimming.
“Swimming really assists people who have breathing difficulties,” she said.
“Swimming is a skill for life, not just a sport.”
More than $3800 was raised by all the swimmers, which will go towards purchasing new respiratory equipment for the Paediatrics ward at the hospital.
The Nellcor Respiratory portable monitors cost about $1900 and measure heart rate and oxygen saturation in the blood.
