HMS Collingwood Royal Navy nurse hops to it to raise money for NHS

Ellie Walls, who is currently serving at HMS Collingwood, will be bouncing her way around her garden as part of the 2.6 Challenge. The national initiative was created by organisers of the London Marathon to help fill the £4bn charity funding shortfall resulting from the cancellation of events due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ellie, who will be bouncing all day and night, said: ‘I like doing things that challenge me but I'm pretty unfit at the moment so I went with something that I thought wouldn't be too serious, like bouncing on a space hopper. To make it challenging, I set a time period of 26.2 hours (26 hours and 12 minutes).

‘I realise it's not the kind of serious physical challenge the military often undertake. I'm not running or rowing miles or scaling the heights of mountains but I think it'll prove challenging at points. I have concerns about boredom but I’m building a great play list as well as a list of films to watch during the dark hours.’

While Ellie is not currently working on the NHS front line she has decided to donate some of the money raised to the Royal Naval Nursing Service who have been supporting Queen Alexandra Hospital in the fight against coronavirus.

SEE ALSO: Veterans in Portsmouth undertake 24-hour spinning challenge for the NHS

Ellie added: ‘I have a lot of friends, both military and civilian, working in the Red zone and they're doing an amazing job. The other charities I've picked are Age UK, Marie Curie UK, Woodside Animal Sanctuary and the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Associationt (SSAFA).

The Space Hopperthon will start at 8am on Saturdayand run through to 10.12am on Sunday. Ellie has set a fundraising target of £500 and will be giving updates on the challenge via her Twitter account.

If you would like to make a donation please visit her Virgin Money giving page at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=Space_hopperthon2020&pageUrl=4

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