THREE South Oxhey schoolgirls have made a splash and raised more than £500 for charity.

Murika Shore, aged nine, enlisted the help of her two friends Shelley Hagan, aged eight, and Chelsea Macintosh, 11, for a sponsored swim in aid of Scope, a charity for people with cerebral palsy.

Murika's sister, Lureece, aged four, suffers from the condition.

Murika and Lureece's grandmother, Valerie Gay, said: "Lureece is lucky because we have a large, close family, but lots of other disabled children are not so lucky.

"Murika wanted to raise money for other families in Hertfordshire that have children with cerebral palsy so she decided on a sponsored swim."

All three girls swam 64 lengths one mile in just over an hour, with in-pool support from their swimming teacher, Rachel Gash.

Rachel, who has just qualified as a PE teacher, said she was delighted the girls did so well.

She said: "I am very proud of them. They worked extremely hard and it was a really nice thing to do.

"Murika always thinks of others before herself."

The total amount raised by the swim was £575, and the girls presented the money to Cherry Hambrook, a community field worker for Scope in Hertfordshire. She said: "I am absolutely delighted to receive this money, which will go towards helping families with disabled children.

"The girls have all done amazingly well."