IT WAS an enormous challenge for 15-year-old Charley Way, and the Poole youngster rose to it.

The teenager was determined to give something back after having the time of his life on a Dreamflight trip to Florida last October.

Charley, who has brittle asthma and has spent many periods in hospital, enjoyed himself so much on his 10 day trip to theme parks, he was determined to raise money for the charity to help other youngsters have the same opportunity.

So he hit on the idea of a sponsored swim and rounded up family including brother Connor, 18, who has the same condition, plus friends and nurses from Poole Hospital children’s ward who went on the trip with him, to take the plunge.

Mum Tracy said: “It was absolutely brilliant, a fantastic day.

“Collectively, I think we did about 1,000 laps, so we were really pleased. Charley’s so tired – he’s still in bed!”

For three hours on Saturday evening, the group had the Everyone Active Dolphin Swimming Pool to themselves to complete the charity challenge.

Tracy said: “The manager closed the pool off so we could use it, which was wonderful, and the DJ played lots of songs to keep Charley going.

“He swam 192 lengths, which was his dream, and he didn’t stop smiling the whole time through. We stopped the music for his last length and everyone was cheering for him. I was so proud – he did amazingly well.”

Charley was inspired to undertake the epic swim after meeting his idol, Paralympian Liz Johnson, who has cerebral palsy and won gold at the Beijing Olympics and bronze at London.

Dreamflight trips take 192 children, which led to Charley’s goal of swimming 192 lengths of the pool and raise £1,920.

Speaking of his trip to the USA where he swam with dolphins and stingrays he said: “It changed my life for the better. It made me think although I have asthma, I can still do things other people wouldn’t think I can do.”