Rugby ace Jason Robinson will be taking part in a unique endurance challenge at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) later this month.

The former England rugby captain and World Cup winner will be part of an elite team of military personnel running and cycling the distance between Camp Bastion in Afghanistan and the hospital, in aid of its official charity.

The team will complete the 3,580 mile challenge in the hospital, which is where the UK’s military patients are treated, using five static treadmills and five exercise bikes. They will begin their feat at 13:00 on Saturday 23 July and aim to finish in under 48 hours.

A host of volunteers will also be joining the team, which includes event organisers Sergeant Chris Armstrong and Sergeant Jo Jackson.

Sergeant Chris Armstrong said: “We want to say a huge thank you to Jason for taking part in Bastion2Birmingham. It’s a real privilege to be undertaking this challenge alongside an international rugby star.

“We’ll be covering 75 miles each hour during our challenge, which replicates the journey travelled from Afghanistan to Birmingham, where our wounded and injured service personnel continue with their physical and emotional recovery.

"All monies raised will be divided between the military patients’ fund within the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity, SSAFA Norton House, Troop Aid and the Mickey Vaggs Trust at the Army Benevolent Fund.

"All of these charity organisations provide key support to our injured service personnel and their families. We hope that by doing this challenge we will not only be raising vital funds but also highlighting the work of these fantastic organisations to the wider community.”

The team hopes to raise a minimum of £3,580 (£1 per mile) to help wounded military patients.

Sergeant Jackson added: “We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who is running or cycling a section of the journey from our field hospital in Afghanistan to Birmingham. We’d also like to thank everyone who has made a donation so far and encourage people to dig deep and help us achieve our target. Please give whatever you can afford by visiting our JustGiving page."

You can also sponsor the team using your mobile phone. To donate £5, simply text BTOB99 £5 to 70070.

Alternatively, you can send a cheque (made payable to Bastion2Birmingham). Please post cheques to:

QEHB Charity
Nuffield House
Mindelsohn way
Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Birmingham, B15 2TH

Jason Robinson is an ambassador for Proskins Ltd, who specialise in fabric technologies. Proskins are supporting the Bastion2Birmingham Charity Endurance at QEHB.

For more information about how you can support patients being treated at QEHB please call QEHB Charity on 0121 371 4852 or visit their website.