Girl, 10, has swum in the sea every day for a year

Many of us will have spent the hot summer cooling off at the coast, but one 10-year-old girl has been in the sea every day this year in a quest to raise money for charity.

Clara, from Southwold in Suffolk, has collected more than £5,600 towards her £6,000 target for the RNLI.

"I've had days when there are massive storms and I really sometimes didn't want to do it because even just stepping out of the warm into the rain and rushing wind, wrapped in a towel and a swimming costume, is kind of hard," she said.

Her dad, Nathan, an RNLI volunteer, said the challenge was all Clara's idea and "that is what makes us particularly proud".

On days when the North Sea has been too rough, Clara said she has "rolled around in the wash" to make sure she was still taking a dip.

"Sometimes it got so cold on a frosty, snowy morning that I actually had to take my blood pressure because I did feel a little bit faint," she recalled.

Her dad, who has taken her to the beach every morning before school, said: "I have to confess, I thought it would probably last up until about half-term.

"She started in September last year and I thought if she struggles through to Christmas and the new year then maybe she'll carry on going - every day she's absolutely done it."

Clara completes her challenge on 20 September and already has her eye on her next big adventure to go scuba diving.

"I once met someone who does Antarctica tours and I saw there was polar diving. I was like 'please, please, please can I do it!'

"I've experienced a bit warmer waters than Antarctica, but I thought maybe when I'm older I could do that because I'm used to the cold water.

"That would be pretty extreme."