A YOUNG swimmer has gone to great lengths to complete a charity challenge in memory of her grandfather, who died following a heart attack.

Emily Bain, 12, from Prestonpans, swam 21 miles – the equivalent of crossing the English Channel – in her family’s outdoor pool.

A member of Tranent Amateur Swimming Club, she estimated she took 40 minutes per mile – and then swam a mile every day for three weeks to raise money for the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

Emily had set herself the challenge as a tribute to her 76-year-old grandfather, George Shiells, who suffered from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and died after having a heart attack in June.

He and his wife Linda had lived with Emily and her family on Doctor Gracie Drive for the last five years.

Emily said: “I wanted to do something for my papa and I love swimming so thought this would be a good way of doing it.

“Our pool is a bit like a giant paddling pool so I couldn’t do lengths in it. Instead, we put a rope around my waist and tied it to the garden fence, so it was like I was swimming on the spot – or sometimes I swam in circles around the pool for 40 minutes. It was quite hard but I’m so glad I did it.”

Emily, a pupil at Preston Lodge High School, has now raised £2,000 for BHF’s research into heart and circulatory diseases.

Her mum Gaynor said: “We are so very, very proud of Emily; not only because she wanted to do something in memory of her papa but of the hard work and dedication that she has shown in completing what was a very difficult challenge.

“She was really close to my father and this was her way of paying tribute to him.

“We are delighted that she has raised so much for the BHF and want to say a huge thank you to everyone who sponsored her. We are so grateful to them all.”

Emily’s fundraising efforts come at a time when the BHF says it needs the public’s support more than ever, describing the Covid-19 pandemic as the biggest challenge the charity has faced in its 60-year history. The temporary closure of its 750 shops across the UK, including 76 in Scotland, and the cancellation of fundraising events have had a devastating impact on income and, as a result, the BHF’s budget for investing in new research into heart and circulatory diseases will halve this year.

James Jopling, head of BHF Scotland, said: “We are so grateful to Emily for her fantastic efforts and for coming up with such a brilliant idea to help us.

“Over the last few months, it has been truly inspiring to see our volunteers and fundraisers continuing to rise to the challenge, even at this extraordinary time, finding new ways to support us.

“The coronavirus crisis will unfortunately have a long-lasting and devastating impact on charities like ours, with our funding for new research falling by up to £50m this year alone.

“That’s why, not only do we need urgent help from our wonderful supporters, we’re also urging the UK Government to ensure funding for vital research charities.

“For us, it will mean we can protect the progress we have made so far and continue to transform the lives of those living with heart and circulatory diseases.”

For more about the work of the BHF and how to help support it, visit bhf.org.uk