Epic endurance skateathon rolls in £7k for North Devon cancer charities

Roller skaters who took part in an epic 18-hour charity endurance challenge have raised more than £7,000 to support people in North Devon affected by cancer.

Around 70 skaters of all ages completed hundreds of laps of the Stoppers Roller Rink in Barnstaple on Saturday, September 27… and into the early hours of Sunday morning.

Skaters took to the rink with determination and all in support of ChemoHero and the Royal Devon Hospitals Charity Fern Centre.

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Local rock climber Ben Hatcher set himself a six-hour challenge to skate the height of Everest every hour!

Regular skaters Paul and Michelle Hancock, Sophie Coker, Sarah Curtler and skate marshal Lewis Curtler collectively skated around 200 miles over a whopping 18 hours.

Above: A mum and son duo skated for 12 hours as the Super Mario Bros! Credit: Royal Devon Hospitals Charity

Other amazing challenges included a mum and son duo who completed a non-stop 76-mile 12-hour relay dressed as the Super Mario Brothers.

Live DJs added to the party atmosphere and helped keep the wheels turning from 12noon on Saturday until 6am on Sunday morning.

Event organiser Erica Whiteley praised the dedication of the skaters and the generosity of sponsors and supporters.

She said: “It’s been amazing to see everyone come together and have so much fun for such an important cause.

“Whether people skated for one hour or all 18, their efforts will make a real difference to local people facing cancer.”

Above: Skate fans donned crazy costumes to take part in the endurance marathon. Credit: Royal Devon Hospitals Charity

Half of the proceeds will go to Royal Devon Hospitals Charity’s Fern Centre, the charity’s cancer wellbeing centre at North Devon District Hospital, with the other half helping ChemoHero to provide boxes of useful and luxury items to chemotherapy patients on their first treatment.

Rob Wallis, ChemoHero co-founder and operation manager, said: “We are so thankful to Erica and everyone who took part in the Skateathon.

“I met some amazing people determined to support local charities; the incredible amount they have raised will help us continue gifting our Boxes of Kindness to people starting chemotherapy, and also support our new Kindness Bags for those admitted to hospital during treatment.

“It is amazing to see the community come together in this way to bring kindness to local people facing cancer.”

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Julie Whitton, community fundraiser for Royal Devon Hospitals Charity said: “We can’t thank Erica enough for putting on such a fabulous fundraiser for the Fern Centre.

“The centre opened in 2020 following a £1.5million fundraising appeal and Royal Devon Hospitals Charity continues to raise the money to needed to cover the centre’s annual running costs.

“It’s thanks to Erica and everyone who supported this event that the Fern Centre is able to offer a whole range of free counselling, complementary therapies, information and wellbeing support to anyone in North Devon anyone affected by cancer.”