An 11-year-old boy will be powering through the choppy waters of Windermere this weekend to raise money for the charity that helped him after the death of his sister.

Seb Clifford-Hirst, from Selside, will be taking part in the Great North Swim to say thank you to CancerCare after it provided him with support following the sudden death of his sister Rhiannon in 2018.

Over the last 12 months Seb has been struggling to cope with his grief and an already tough time was further amplified by the additional worries caused by the Covid pandemic.

Seb’s mum, Alex, said: “This grief and stress was causing him to have issues with anger, anxiety and low self-esteem. We hadn't realised that CancerCare offered support for grieving children, but we are so glad we found out.

“Since Seb has been having his weekly sessions we have seen a big difference in him.

“He is dealing with his emotions better and seems much happier in himself.

“Seb really appreciates and looks forward to his sessions and decided to do the swim and raise money as he wanted to give something back to this brilliant charity.”

Seb has already smashed his initial fundraising target of £200 with the current total standing at an incredible £355.

To make a donation go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/seb-clifford-hirst1