Croydon NHS’ CEO takes on 100km charity challenge
The leader of Croydon’s NHS is making his final strides towards a gruelling physical challenge to raise funds towards a new unit for seriously ill children in Croydon.
Matthew Kershaw, Chief Executive and Place Based Leader for Health in Croydon, will take part in the South Coast Challenge ‘Ultra Marathon’ on 4-5 September to raise much needed cash for the Lily Pad Appeal, a specific fund run by Chartwell Cancer Trust.
The appeal is helping to fund a dedicated unit for children with cancer living in the borough, which will form part of a state of the art Paediatric Integrated Unit due to open in the Spring at Croydon University Hospital.
Mathew said:
“Each year, our paediatric teams care for almost 52,000 children people across the borough. Our new Paediatric Integrated Unit will give us the opportunity to provide even better care to even more young people when they need us and, in some cases, even closer to home.
“Having a little one in hospital is incredibly stressful for any family and the Lily Pad Appeal is a fantastic cause, bringing together our local community to help make a difference to children living with cancer in Croydon and if I can help by raising some extra money, then all the better.
“I regularly run around 20 miles a week as part of my commute to work and a whole lot more at weekends. However, this challenge is significantly longer and has seven huge hills which will be a massive strain on the legs so while fitting in practice runs hasn’t been easy, it certainly has been important!”
Joined by fellow runner Scott Beaton, husband to Croydon’s most senior nurse, the dynamic duo will run 100km on the South Coast from Eastbourne to Arundel and hope to exceed their £2,000 fundraising target.
Scott said:
“I’m delighted to be running with Mathew to raise money for the Lily Pad appeal. I know how passionate my wife and all her colleagues are about providing the very best medical care to sick and most vulnerable. The money we raise will go some way to supporting this”.
The Paediatric Integrated Unit will open in 2022 and will include a new critical care and children’s cancer service, as well as enhanced facilities for patients and visitors, such as relaxation rooms.
The Unit also brings together children’s inpatient care from across the Trust, housing medical and surgical wards as well as a short stay unit.
Donations can be made online at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/teamcroydonruns