AN enthusiastic young swimmer has raised more than £200 for charity after taking part in the Swindon North Rotary Club Swimathon.

Eight-year-old Emma Cetin from North Swindon took part in the challenge to fundraise for her swimming club Swindon Dolphins ASC and the Swindon Downs Syndrome Group.

After starting with a target of £25, donations have flooded in and she’s now raised £225.31 for the charities.

She’s been learning to swim since she was four.

Her father Husnu was amazed by his daughter’s achievement.

He said: “We are all very proud of her, we couldn’t believe that she did it.

“She’s quite new to swimming and on that day, we had just come back from Turkey and she’d only had two hours sleep on the flight before the swimathon.

“She was exhausted afterwards but very proud of herself.”

Mum Roberta was also very pleased with Emma’s feat.

She said: “It’s remarkable, she’s done really well and she really enjoys it.

“She’s quite a high achiever, she likes seeing how far she’s progressed and she’s a bit of a perfectionist.

Mr Cetin is the owner of Trident Fish Bar. He added: “She loves swimming, she keeps saying she can’t wait for another lesson.

“She’s progressed a lot, she’ll never stop swimming.”

The event was organised by the Swindon North Rotary Club, who also chose the two charities donations would go to.

Mrs Cetin added: “We had an email from the Dolphins and I asked Emma if she wanted to do it and she said yes straight away.

“Emma’s very happy that she could help other people and collect money for a good cause, she’s grateful and thankful for all the people that have donated.”

Each participant had to swim in the pool for an hour consistently.

Emma did the backstroke, breaststroke and front crawl for the challenge which took place in more than 600 swimming pools across the UK on April 24.

She swam 50 lengths of the 25 metre long pool, swimming 1250 metres in total.

Emma also enjoys learning ballet, gymnastics, and playing the recorder and violin in her spare time.

Swindon Downs Syndrome Group is a parent-led charity which supports people with the condition along with their families and carers.

Swindon Dolphins ASC is one of Wiltshire's most acclaimed sports clubs, with a membership of approximately 400.

To donate, visit mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/emmacetin1