Matthew Kershaw, the chief executive of the Croydon NHS Trust, went the extra mile, or 62, at the weekend to help raise funds for a children’s cancer charity based at Mayday Hospital.

Exhausted but elated: Kershaw (left) and Beaton at the end of their 62-mile cross-country trek

Kershaw, together with Scott Beaton, has raised more than £4,000 – twice their target – as a result of their efforts in the South Coast Challenge ultra-marathon. The money is going towards the Chartwell Cancer Trust’s Lily Pad Appeal, which is trying to raise £750,000 towards a new children’s cancer unit.

The Challenge is a tough 100 kilometres – more than 62 miles – across country from Eastbourne through the South Downs National Park, up Beachy Head, over the magnificent Seven Sisters and along the South Downs Way to Brighton at halfway. Then up and down Devil’s Dyke to Arundel for the finish, with nearly 7,000 feet of climbing along the way.

Kershaw and Beaton – the husband of Croydon’s Chief Nurse and executive lead of the paediatric integrated unit – looked exhausted but elated when they got to the finish line after their weekend’s efforts.

“Each year, Croydon Health Services NHS Trust cares for almost 52,000 young people. With your help, in this new unit we can provide even better care, closer to home, for many of our sickest patients, Kershaw said.

The dedicated children’s unit was approved 12 months ago, and will help families and their youngsters dealing with cancer, some of whom might spend up to two years in treatment.

When completed, it will provide a critical care unit and children’s cancer unit, allowing the Trust to provide care closer to home for even more of the borough’s sickest children.

The state-of-the-art facility will house a medical ward, surgical ward and a short stay unit, for children and young people who need to be admitted to hospital, as well as providing improved facilities for patients and visitors, such as family spaces and relaxation rooms.

• If you want to join the many sponsors of Kershaw and Beaton’s ultra-marathon efforts, click here to donate

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