Children's hospital nurse on the run to help raise thousands

Local nurse Courtney Murphy from the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital is raising crucial funds for patient entertainment.

Courtney (pictured), from Stalybridge, is a paediatric nurse on Ward 85 of the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. 

Throughout November, Courtney and eight of her colleagues have been running 100km to raise money to buy entertainment equipment, including games consoles and film projectors to be used by teenage patients.

Ward 85 is the hospital’s respiratory, cystic fibrosis and rheumatology unit. Their patients usually come from the north west of England, but due to the specialties of the staff, patients also travel across the UK and even from other countries to receive care.

Gabby Chan, a sister at the hospital, explained: “We have lots of equipment and toys to entertain babies and younger children, but some of our teenage patients are on the ward for weeks at a time and it can get very boring for them.

“Patients have to remain socially distanced which often means they are isolated in their own rooms throughout their admission.”

The sponsored challenge has already seen more than £5,600 donated and smashed their initial target of £1,500.

Courtney said: “I’ve done a mixture of walking and running; I’m surprised at how easy the running started to get and started to enjoy it. Seeing all the team photos was really motivating for me.”

Her routes took her around Stalybridge and Dovestones.

To support the cause, people can donate at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ward85-rmch and follow their journey on Twitter at @RMCH_Ward85