Hula-hooping 86-year-old smashes fundraising goal

Nova Strange did her 10,000th hula hoop in front of an audience

A woman who has twirled a hula hoop around her waist 10,000 times over the course of 100 days is celebrating after quadrupling her fundraising target for BBC Children in Need.

Nova Strange, 86, hoped to raise £500 by performing 100 twirls with a plastic hoop every day for three months, but by the time she completed her challenge she had raised almost £2,000.

The final spins of the hoop were watched by an audience at Cheddington Methodist Church in Buckinghamshire, which cheered her on.

"It's been an amazing experience," Ms Strange said, as she admitted the feat left her "a bit out of breath".

Nova Strange taught herself how to use a hula hoop during the coronavirus lockdown

Ms Strange acknowledged the daily messages of support had been instrumental in motivating her to complete the challenge.

She taught herself to hula hoop during the coronavirus lockdown, having never tried it before in her life.

Ms Strange said: "I just wanted to do some exercise. And, you know, we couldn't really do a lot, could we?

"So it's something you can do in your own home. Anybody can do it. And it's good for your waist...We're all old and it's good for us."

Children in Need returns to our screens on Friday night for an evening of fundraising, to raise money for children and young people across the UK. You can find out more here, plus you can read more about the charity and donate on its website.