Jack goes to great lengths for charity

A 17-month-old has completed a sponsored swim to raise money for the maternity unit where he was born. Jack Grayson swam 12 lengths of the small pool at his local baths, the Louisa Centre in Stanley, covering a total of 144 metres. The tot raised £1,066 for the special care baby unit at the QE Gateshead after spending the first few hours of his life in the department.

His mum Jane Grayson says: "Jack was born by caesarean section as he was distressed after 15 hours of labour. He had mucus in his tummy and difficulty breathing so the fantastic team in QE's

special care baby unit cared for him while I recovered. I'm so thankful to all of the staff who were there to look after my gorgeous little boy, especially at a time when I was unable to, and I felt it was only right to give something back.

"Jack loves to swim and has been going to lessons since he was six months old. He absolutely loved taking part in the sponsored swim and we are so proud of him for doing it and raising so much money. It was lovely going into the QE again and thanking all of the midwives properly for everything they

did for us."