SWIMMING the English Channel is a great achievement for any sportsperson -- but a Nelson schoolgirl has proved you're never too young to complete the 22-mile challenge.

Sammy-Jo Woolfenden, 10, raised £1,392 for charity by swimming the distance of the channel in twice-weekly sessions -- clocking up a total of 1,408 lengths.

The St Paul's Primary School pupil, of Highgate, swam a mile every session for 11 weeks to complete the national Aspire Channel Swimming Challenge to raise money for people with spinal cord injuries.

Friends and family, including her sister Jessica-May, six, rallied round to sponsor her and she also attracted money from the local Asda store.

Sammy-Jo, who is also a keen netball player and a member of her local swimming club, took up the challenge after reading a poster for the challenge at Pendle Wavelengths.

He mum Deborah said: "Sammy-Jo knew she could already swim a mile but she saw the poster and thought it would be a real challenge for her to have a go at such a big distance.

"She has always been a good swimmer but wanted to see if she could manage the distance. At first she wasn't sure a 10-year-old would be allowed to take part but they said it would be ok.

"We usually go to the pool at Nelson but a lot of the challenge was done in Colne where there are sessions for people to swim in lanes so she could just get on and do a mile at a time. We were so pleased she managed to complete the challenge. She went twice a week for 11 weeks. We're very proud."