Countess of Chester Hospital staff raise thousands for hospital charity in London Marathon

A staggering £10,000 was raised for the Countess Charity, after hospital staff and members of the community successfully completed the London Marathon in its name.

Staff members Laura Atherton, Operational Manager for the Chester Milk Bank and Mo Njie from the hospital's security team joined two consistent supporters of the Countess Charity, Eric Henderson and Lauren Shand in running a gruelling 26.2 miles in one of the world's biggest sporting events.

Their efforts raised more than £10,000 for the Countess Charity - £8,000 of which will go towards the building of a new balcony for patients in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit, and £2,000 for the Trust's Retinal Eye Scanner appeal.

The runners' places in the marathon were generously secured by the Chester Lions Club who have helped the charity in this way for the past 15 years.

Interim Head of Fundraising Angie Lopez praised the runners and said their fundraising will go a long way to help patients at the hospital.

She said:

"It has been amazing to see this year's London Marathon Team Countess support each other in their fundraising, training and on the day, " she said.

"They have all worked so hard to raise funds, holding cake sales, evening events and Bike-a-thons.  They are such an amazing team and their fundraising will be of immense benefit to our patients here at the Countess,"