Rev Dr Jonathan Abernethy-Barkley

A CHURCH minister is running a marathon in Rome to raise funds for a hospital children’s ward.

Reverend Dr Jonathan Abernethy-Barkley, minister of Pond Square Chapel in Highgate, will run the Rome Marathon on March 16.

The endurance challenge is aiming to raise funds for the Whittington Health Charity that supports the hospital in Archway.

He said: “A common phrase we hear in our local community is ‘I was born at Whittington Hospital’, or ‘my child was born at Whittington hospital’.

“Whittington Hospital has a community feel and serves its local people from the moment they are born right up to end of life. The care is exceptional, but the facilities are lacking, and this is especially true for the children’s ward.”

The funds could be used to improve the floor to ceiling artwork, buy new VR headsets that serve as distractions during procedures, or create new spaces for adolescent patients to relax.