Bristol student boxes at O2 Academy for Alzheimer's charity

A student whose grandparents suffered from Alzheimer's has raised money for charity by fighting in a boxing match at Bristol's O2 Academy.

Ella Griffith trained from scratch for eight weeks before the fight.

The University of Bristol student, 20, lost the bout on Monday night but managed to raise £500 for the Alzheimer's Society.

She took on the challenge because two of her grandparents are living with the disease.

Ms Griffith took on the pseudonym 'Cinder' Ella for her fight.

She said she was absolutely terrified when she stepped into the ring.

"I'm not a very aggressive person, so it was hard to channel that when it was so against my nature," she said.

"It was a crazy experience. It's not a normal thing to do, to hit someone, so it was quite an unnatural thing to learn."

Ms Griffith said it felt poignant to raise money to combat Alzheimer's because of the impact the disease is having on her family.

"It's been really hard to see my Mum have both parents affected simultaneously... and for my grandparents' other halves, who have become primary carers," she said.

"It turns their life upside down and it's really painful to see that."

She added that people's response to the challenge was heart-warming.

"People have really rallied behind me and it's reassuring that people are happy to support the cause."

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