Elijah Wotton, from Seaham, was inspired to set himself a swimming challenge after witnessing people complete a swim marathon at his local pool.

He decided to raise money for the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) who came to the aid of his grandad in 2013 when he fell from the top of a ladder and landed on a concrete floor.

He suffered a severe head injury and a smashed shoulder and was taken to hospital for further treatment.

Elijah was not born at the time, but his grandad has since told him about what happened and made him aware of the importance of raising money for the charity so they can help save other people’s lives.

Elijah’s mother Gemma Wotton said: “He has spoken to Elijah many times about how GNAAS landed a helicopter in a nearby field, kept him stable, administrating life-saving care until he reached James Cook University Hospital and without them he would not be alive today. Elijah is very close to his grandad and wanted to show his appreciation to GNAAS for saving his life so they could have all their time together.”

Initially Elijah aimed to swim two miles a week for one month, but in his first week he swam 241 lengths which was 112 over target. By week two his motivation was at a high, and he swam 266 lengths which is more than four miles.

Gemma said: “By the end of the challenge Elijah had swam 924 lengths of a 25m swimming pool which is a total of 14.3 miles, and over halfway when swimming the English Channel. He never once felt as though it was too much as he knew what a great cause he was raising money for and had plenty of support from friends and family cheering him on.”

Elijah thought he might raise £200 but he more than doubled that amount and raised a total of £468 for GNAAS.

Gemma said: “After completing the challenge, Elijah was immensely proud of himself and surprised himself at what he can achieve when he is determined. He was very surprised by the amount he has raised, and extremely grateful to all those who have donated to such an amazing cause.”