Inspirational King's Lynn nine-year-old takes on English Channel challenge

A King’s Lynn schoolgirl is taking on an English Channel challenge in a bid to raise money for a charity which helped her after she took a tumble.

Elodie Blackmore, nine, hopes to run a total of 21 miles which is the distance from Dover to Calais - and is raising money for St John Ambulance after she was treated by their volunteers when she fell over her six-year-old brother Arlo’s leg.

She said: “I tripped over my brother’s leg on the way to The Walks Stadium to watch King's Lynn Town play and grazed my elbow and knee.

"When I arrived at the football, they treated me and were very kind and made me feel much better."

A pupil at St Martha’s Catholic Primary School, Gaywood, Elodie has pulled on her trainers and is working hard to put in the miles before the end of the year.

The nine-year-old hopes to raise £630, or £30 per mile and has already completed 7.5 miles of her challenge and said she was enjoying the running, although it is getting tougher as winter approaches.

She said: "My dad told me about the work of St John Ambulance and the fact they are volunteers so I decided to run the distance of the channel to help them.

"It has been a bit tough and the weather isn’t helping much now, but I will definitely carry on.

Her dad David also has cause to be grateful to St John Ambulance after he collapsed while running the London marathon in October.

He said: "Elodie started her challenge before the marathon, but after what happened and the care I received from the St John team I couldn’t be more happy about her charity choice."

David collapsed near the 25-mile marker during the marathon and was treated for heat stroke but is now back running again and is currently attempting to virtually run the length of America’s Route 66.

He recently completed 305 miles of the mammoth 2,280-mile route, and hopes to complete the challenge before the end of 2022.

Elodie’s fundraising page can be found here: