A member of staff at the Royal Papworth Hospital is taking on an epic challenge to raise money for “incredible charity”.

The Hunts Post: Andrew Forster, material management assistant at the Trust, is walking the distance of 30 marathons to raise money for the Royal Papworth Charity.Andrew Forster, material management assistant at the Trust, is walking the distance of 30 marathons to raise money for the Royal Papworth Charity. (Image: Archant)

Andrew Forster, material management assistant at the Trust, is walking the distance of 30 marathons to raise money for the Royal Papworth Charity.

He leaves his house in the early hours and and returns close to midnight – working a full shift at the Cambridge-based hospital in between - Andy will be using every hour of his day to get his steps in to complete his gruelling challenge.

He said: “Working at Royal Papworth during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic I saw first-hand how hard all of the staff worked and how the nurses selflessly carried on working to care for the patients. As we entered a second lockdown, I knew I wanted to do something to show my support and raise money for an incredible charity which supports an amazing hospital.”

Andy, from St Neots, was one of the many dedicated members of staff who moved out of his house with his brother to stay at the hospital provided accommodation in Waterbeach during the first wave. This enabled Andy to continue to work in the Hospital and keep his family safe.

To reach his £2000 target for Royal Papworth Charity, Andy will walk a total of 780 miles in November. As a material management assistant, Andy supports every team across the hospital with vital deliveries of personal protective equipment (PPE), medical kit and other critical supplies. Walking across the site will help Andy to rack up those vital steps every day.

The Royal Papworth Hospital COVID-19 Appeal continues to raise vital funds in support of the ground-breaking work of Royal Papworth Hospital in the fight against coronavirus. As a specialist heart and lung hospital and one of five ECMO centres in the UK, the hospital provides the highest level of medical intervention and treats some of the sickest patients with coronavirus.

To follow Andy’s story and show your support visit his JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/andrew-forster5