Tadley teenager swims 26 miles for Kidney Research UK (From Basingstoke Gazette)
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Tadley teenager swims 26 miles for Kidney Research UK
6:20pm Tuesday 11th September 2012 in Local By Helen Morton
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Ben Thompson in the pool
A BIG-HEARTED Tadley teenager completed an epic swim to support a charity which has helped his sister.
Ben Thompson swam 26 miles in just two weeks to raise hundreds of pounds for Kidney Research UK.
Averaging two miles, or around 120 lengths of the pool every day, the 14-year-old, of Gorselands, Tadley, took on the challenge during his school holidays from The Hurst Community College .
His 12-year-old sister Naomi has chronic renal failure and has had her right kidney and half of her left kidney removed.
The half kidney she has left is failing and it is only a matter of time before she is put on dialysis and goes on the transplant register. The children’s mum Jo-Anne Thompson, 38, said: “Kidney Research UK has helped Naomi in so many ways, and Ben really wanted to do something to raise money for them.
The mum-of-five, who is a swimming instructor at Tadley swimming pool, in New Road, where Ben took on the challenge, said: “I’m really proud of him. That amount of lengths in one day is hard enough but to do it over 14 days without a day off is really tough.
“I think he’s really glad that he has achieved something special, rather than wasting the summer holidays.”
Naomi said she was “really happy” her brother had chosen to support Kidney Resea-rch UK. So far, Ben has raised nearly £800 through the challenge and is well on the way to his target of £1,000. To donate to Ben’s fundraising, visit http://www.kidneyresearchukevents.org/bensswimmarathon .
