Teenage girl completes 24-hour charity drumathon

A 16-year-old girl has told of her relief after completing a 24-hour drumathon.

Aev, from Oxfordshire, was inspired to take up the challenge after seeing BBC weatherman Owain Wyn Evans do a similar undertaking for Children in Need.

Aev, whose drumming heroes include Karen Carpenter, Cindy Blackman, and John Bonham, set herself a target of raising £2,400 for Save the Children - £100 for each hour - but ended up reaching £6,871.

"I’m so thankful for all the support I’ve had," she told the BBC.

"I’m so surprised I made it through. In my head I thought I might need a hospital trip or have a heart attack at some point," she said.

"It felt touch and go at one point."

'Delirious'

Aev, who finished her GCSEs in June, started her challenge at Headington School as soon as assembly ended at 08:30 BST on Thursday - and continued playing until the next day.

She first started drumming aged six and said she found it helped with her dyspraxia, a condition that affects movement and coordination.

She said she did the drumathon because she "wanted to do something important" with her favourite hobby.

The teenager allowed herself five-minute breaks each hour and, on two occasions, had to switch to banging a marching drum to make way for a school assembly and when she relocated to the music block overnight.

Aev also had no sleep during the drumathon, and said the low point was the 17th hour, when she had to recharge her phone, which she had been using to stream her efforts on Instagram to enthusiastic support.

"That was the worst bit because what was keeping me up was chatting," she said.

"I felt very alone. My Dad was there and we were watching the election and I felt like I was literally about to fall asleep. That was the hardest bit."

By the time the drumathon ended, she said she felt "delirious".

She said: "I remember the moment when everyone started cheering when it was over.

"I just turned to my friend and gave her a massive hug. I couldn’t believe it was finally over."

Aev said she got into the car afterwards "so full of adrenaline" but, before she knew it, fell asleep and woke up at home. She then slept until 15:00.

"I was a bit of a zombie for the rest of the day," she admitted.

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