Oundle girl, 8, climbs three peaks for children's charity

  • Published
Imogen and her father on mountainImage source, Jonathan Haslam
Image caption,

Imogen Haslam climbed the three peaks with her father, Jonathan

An eight-year-old girl has climbed the three peaks to raise money for a charity which helped her family when her little brother was ill.

Imogen Haslam and her dad, from Oundle, Northamptonshire, scaled Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon last week.

They have raised more than £1,700 for The Sick Children's Trust.

The charity provided the family with a place to stay when Imogen's brother was receiving hospital treatment away from home after being born premature.

Image source, Jonathan Haslam
Image caption,

Imogen said she wanted to raise money for the charity that helped her family

John, now aged three, was born eight weeks premature and had to receive treatment at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, an hour away from the family's home.

Imogen said it was "really really scary" as less than a year before John was born, her little brother Harry "passed away".

"Eight months later John was born and because he was born early we thought he was going to do the same like Harry did," she said.

"So we were really really scared."

Imogen said The Sick Children's Trust "saved" her family "by helping us and giving us a room to be by his side".

Image source, Jonathan Haslam
Image caption,

Imogen said she enjoyed being outdoors and being active

The father and daughter duo climbed all three mountains in three days, between the 29 and 31 March.

Imogen said the experience was "really good".

She said she and her father "talked on the mountains" because "whenever you talk it feels like you just carry on and it makes you go faster".

Imogen's mother Faith Haslam said she could not believe her daughter's achievement.

"It's amazing," she said. "She's incredible."

Mrs Haslam said she hoped the fundraising would help The Sick Children's Trust as it was a charity "you don't really know about until you need them".

"They provide such an amazing facility for people when they really need it," she said.

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, external, Instagram, external and Twitter, external. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk, external