Top doc ops for marathon fund raiser for cancer charity

" As a former trustee of the charity it is so important for me to give something back to the hospital that has supported me greatly throughout my career "

A top cancer specialist from Liverpool will be thinking of all of the patients he has treated as he prepares for one of the toughest challenges of his life.

Weston Park Hospital Dr Peter Kirkbride (52) will run the 2009 Flora London marathon on April 26 in a bid to raise as much as he can for the hospital’s cancer charity.

Chief cancer clinician for Sheffield’s Teaching Hospitals Trust, he has worked for Weston Park for 10 years within the clinical oncology department.

Liverpool-born Peter, who now lives in Ecclesall in Sheffield, said: “My training schedule has been tough and I have been steadily building up my running distances at the weekends.

“Work commitments have meant that I have not been able to run as much as I would have liked in the week so I am no longer planning on finishing within a specific time – I just want to finish!

“I ran the London marathon 20 years ago and swore I would never do it again. But I realised that the race is a chance for me to raise money for a great cause and I was delighted to have the opportunity to take part this year.”

Peter, a member of the National Radiotherapy Advisory Group added: “As a former trustee of the charity it is so important for me to give something back to the hospital that has supported me greatly throughout my career with training and development.

“With all of this running, I don’t feel at all guilty with eating chocolate eggs this Easter!”

Weston Park Hospital is the only dedicated cancer hospital in the region and one of only three in the UK, and has the only radiotherapy department in South Yorkshire. It provides cancer treatment services for patients across the region which means that patients from Rotherham, Barnsley, Doncaster, Worksop and Chesterfield as well as Sheffield and beyond benefit from donations made to the charity.

The Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity provides the hospital with vital funding to help pay for world class treatment and care for people living with cancer.

If you would like to sponsor Peter and raise money for Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity please visit http://www.justgiving.com/peterkirkbride.