LAST Sunday 13-year-old Balmoral local, Justin Mutch, swam for two hours at the Balmoral Swimming Pool to raise much needed funds for the Balmoral Bush Nursing Centre (BBNC).

BBNC administration coordinator and mother of Justin, Nicole Lease, said she was extremely proud of him after he set a goal and trained incredibly hard to achieve that goal.

The goal was not only swimming for two hours, but also raising as much money as possible to purchase the emergency care patient monitor for their local health service.

“The tally for the amount of money raised is currently at $12,038.70 with hopefully more pledges coming in as more people hear about the appeal,” she said.

“The BBNC are still accepting donations.”

BBNC health service manager, Anita Weaver, said the event was a success on many fronts, with the BBNC able to raise valuable funds towards an essential piece of equipment, while Justin challenged himself and surpassed his personal goal.

It was also a social day out for the spectators and participants.

“We were aiming to raise $17,600 and while we still have a little way to go to achieve that target, the BBNC board and staff are so appreciative of the wonderful support by everyone who donated or pledged to the course,” she said.

The funds will be used for a patient care monitor for the BBNC clinical treatment area for emergency and urgent care cases.

“The advanced monitor is a valuable diagnostic tool that will help nurses detect early signs of deterioration in a patient and has great potential to improve their outcome in emergency,” Mrs Weaver said.

The BBNC thanked Justin for the sheer determination he had to swim over five kilometres in two hours.

“He showed a lot of community spirit for such a young man, we also want to thank everyone that made donations and sponsored the event,” Mrs Weaver said.