A 12-YEAR-OLD schoolgirl is preparing herself for the ultimate challenge of swimming the distance of the English Channel in a bid to raise money for charity.

Heidi Loveland, from Chalfont St Peter, is taking part in one of the country's biggest sponsored swimming events, the ASPIRE Swim Challenge.

The pupil from Dr Challoner's High School, in Cokes Lane, Little Chalfont, is calling for the people of Buckinghamshire to join her and the other hundreds of people willing to brave the 22 mile distance of the English Channel Tunnel.

In the next three months, swimming pools across the country will open their doors to the fundraisers who will embark on the epic swim in an effort to raise money for ASPIRE, the national charity for spinal cord injury.

Heidi, who has been swimming since she was an infant, has been training three times a week at the Chalfont Otters Swimming Club in an effort to shape up.

Heidi's mum Joanna Loveland said: "She has always loved being in the water. She is really looking forward to the challenge and raising money for ASPIRE. Her grandmother suffers from back pain so she is keen to help others."

The ASPIRE Channel Swim is currently in its seventh year and is hoping to double this year's target and raise an ambitious £500,000.

The task is physically demanding however participants are able to swim a few laps at a time or share the distance with a team. The swim still counts so long as the full 22 miles have been completed by the end of the 12 weeks or December 4 this year.

To take part call 0800 0370880 or log onto www.aspirechannelswim.co.uk

By Leila Blackburn