A 13-year-old girl is paddleboarding to school every day – powering through jellyfish stings during the unique commute.
Elsie Berriman paddles on a board across the sea from Hayle to Carbis Bay in Cornwall.
Waking up at the crack of dawn Elsie gets in the water at 6:30 am – where it takes roughly an hour to get to Carbis Bay – usually arriving at around 7:45 am.
The determined surfer then uses the outdoor showers on the beach in her wetsuit, gets ready and heads up to school.
She is doing the school commute surf on an epic fundraising mission for her local surf club.
Elise plans to paddle 20 miles over 10 days for Hayle Surf Live Saving Club – a community that trains and educates people of all ages to be safe in and around the coastline – where she has been a member since a young girl.
Elsie has already smashed her target and raised £2,045 – and has no plans of stopping yet, despite getting stung by jellyfish everyday.
Elsie, who has grown up in Hayle for all her life, said: “Hayle Surf Livesaving Club has given me something to be passionate about, and along the way, I’ve been fortunate to make some great friendships.
“It’s a fantastic community to be part of, and I want to give back by taking on this challenge”.
Andrew Berriman, 43, Elsie’s Dad, expressed his pride for his daughter – as well as his gratitude for people’s support.
He said: “It has really surprised us how generous people have been.
“We didn’t aim to raise as much money – it was just meant to be a small fundraiser, but it seems to have really captured people’s imaginations.
“I think a big reason is because she is 13 and is doing this every day for two weeks!
“The conditions have been so bad as well, but she’s not fazed.
“She’s always loved the water and has grown up around the sea and particularly that bit of water – she knows it well and is a confident swimmer.”
Elsie goes out in the mornings with at least two to three members of the club who provide a safety cover for her.
Andrew, who was initially meant to do the challenge with Elsie but was unable to due to an Achilles injury, says the surf club has been a huge part of both of their lives.
Having been a member since a teenager, Andrew wanted his daughter to grow up in the same surf club community he had.
He explained: “It’s why we got her into it – she has loved it and it has been her absolute favorite thing to do.
“The club have so many dedicated people and all her closest friends are there too.
“She is there all day on Sunday for training, Tuesday nights, Wednesday nights, and they often have something on a Friday too.
“She feels this surf club is a community for her – and this challenge proves it really is.”
Elsie explains that her idea for the fundraiser came about after the club was fundraising earlier in the year to buy a double ski, which is an ‘expensive piece of kit’.
It sparked her interest in helping out, so she decided to paddle to school. After working out the logistics with her Dad, the idea snowballed into a reality.
However, the challenge has not been without difficulty for the young girl – including rough conditions this week and the sea being swarmed with mauve stinger jellyfish.
Andrew said: “Elsie has been stung every day, and other members of the club have been stung loads too.
“As she was paddling one morning, she brought her hang up and there was one on her hand – but even that isn’t bothering her!”
Elsie finishes her challenge next Friday, giving conditions to remain safe to do so.
If conditions become too dangerous, she plans to extend her venture and complete the full 10 days.”
Produced in association with SWNS Talker
