AN OSBASTON Primary School pupil will walk the length of the Malvern Hills this month to raise money for the hospital that gave her a new lease of life.

11-year-old Lucy Edmunds was born with a hole in her heart, but following a further complication in 2016, her breathing was severely impacted and she was in a lot of pain.

After struggling to walk, play sports and even enjoy singing, she underwent major open heart surgery in June 2016. Just five weeks later, she took on the Malvern Hills for the first time. She said: “They were the first hills I walked up after my op. It felt so free.”

Lucy, who lives in Staunton, is walking the full nine miles of the Malvern Hills on 30th June to raise vital funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) Children’s Charity.

“I am walking the hills that I couldn’t walk before for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity because they mended my heart, I want to thank them,” she added.

Lucy developed the complication to the hole in her heart in January 2016. Her right ventricle became constricted by a muscle bundle and her heart was having to work extra hard just to pump the blood out. This is painful, and it made her out of breath, and the harder the heart worked, the bigger the muscle bundle became and the blockage got worse.

Lucy was struggling to keep up with her friends, and was upset to always come last in every race at sports day. Going for a walk with her parents was no fun and climbing a hill was just painful.

Lucy aims to raise £500 for Great Ormond Street Hospital, to help other children have life-saving operations.

You can read Lucy’s full story and make a donation at www.justgiving.com/

fundraising/lucywalksthemalverns

Laura Savory, Senior Fundraising Manager at Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity said: “We’re so grateful to Lucy for her generosity and support. The money raised will help to make a huge difference to young patients and families from across the UK”.