An aspiring medic at Sidmouth College hopes to make a splash in the Czech Republic after a gruelling eight-hour sponsored swim.

Year 12 student Hannah Domhof wants to gain hospital experience to prepare for a career in medicine and was aiming to raise �1,000 by crossing the pool 650 times – a length for every mile from London to Prague.

She said: “It went really well, I’ve never swum that far before.”

Used to swimming at most 200 when in training, she added that the second half was a challenge.

“The first half went well, I had the midpoint as a target – after that the end seemed a long way away,” she said.

But she was cheered on by friends and family, and managed to complete the challenge in just under her goal of eight hours.

Hannah said she was grateful to all of her supporters, especially Sue Hurley, the head of sixth form who told her about the work experience placement.

The attentive teacher also helped her raise money by spending five hours on a treadmill to help her on her way.

Together they almost reached Hannah’s fundraising target, and she will be taking her trip during the February half-term.

Hannah said work experience is hard to come by for under-18s in the UK, so placement company Gap Medics will place her with an English-speaking doctor in a Czech hospital.