From bread run to charity run for marathon man Peter!

A doctor from Queen Victoria Hospital (QVH) is running the London Marathon at the end of the month alongside 49,999 other runners, five years after doing his first with friends on deserted streets during lockdown.

Dr Peter Newman, a locum Senior House Officer at QVH, will be running the London Marathon on Sunday 27 April to raise money for our charity, cheered on by family and friends in a crowd of hundreds and thousands, lining the streets of the capital from Greenwich Park to Buckingham Palace.

This is all a far cry from the first time he ran the 26.2 mile challenge, when he ran along the deserted streets of Hampshire with his brother, two friends, four ruck sacks and 12 loaves of homemade sourdough bread.

Peter said:

“Yes, I ran my first marathon in Lockdown. Strange circumstances. I was staying at my mum and dad’s house in Romsey, Hampshire back when lockdown happened in 2020. I’d been running a lot – when I could go outside – and making bread inside when we couldn’t.

“The restrictions got lifted slightly in early June that year which meant people could spend more time outside so me, my brother, Nicho, and friends, Fin and Sam (all pictured right), thought we would combine the running and the bread-making: we worked out a route that was 26.2 miles from where we were near Romsey, to Winchester, and back, and we had a lot of bread.

“So we put three loaves each into a ruck sack and off we went delivering the bread to friends and family as we went along the route. It was a real challenge, really hot day, hardly anybody about on pretty deserted roads, and it wasn’t an ideal route as we had to take in where people lived but it was 26.2 miles and a lot of fun.”

It took 4 hours and 40 minutes to complete the sourdough marathon, and he is looking to knock over an hour off that time when he runs bread-free in the more iconic London one.

Peter had just finished his first degree in dentistry back in 2020, and started working in his first position as a Senior House Officer in the maxillofacial department at QVH in 2022. He is currently studying for a degree in medicine at Cambridge University, and working at the hospital at weekends. It’s a place he loves and because of this, he has chosen to support our charity on April 27.

“QVH is a great place, where people can really make a difference. It’s got a unique atmosphere, with lovely teams, lovely people, everyone knows everyone, and that helps in terms of caring for patients.

“I went to watch the Marathon in London last year and was inspired by the whole occasion. When I got the chance to run by QVH Charity I was so excited by the opportunity. It is all the motivation that I will need when the going gets tough, to think of the people at this hospital I could be helping by running through the streets of London. It will certainly be a lot different to the one I ran with my brother and friends last time I ran a marathon, that’s for sure!”

Peter has a target of £2,500 to raise for QVH Charity and has so far raised £770.

Here at QVH Charity, we are the dedicated charity for Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and we help fund a variety of projects which are above and beyond what the NHS provides to benefit both patients and staff.

Camilla Lane, Head of Fundraising and Voluntary Services, said:

“People like Peter taking on the London Marathon challenge for QVH Charity really do make a difference. The money they raise helps the charity pay for the things patients and colleagues need but the NHS cannot pay for. Peter works here, he is a part of the QVH team, so he knows the difference we can make for our patients.

“I’ll be cheering Peter on every step of the way and I hope he gets as close to the £2,500 as possible.”

If anyone wishes to sponsor Peter, you can do so via his fundraising page here: https://2025tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/peter-newman

Has Peter inspired you to get involved with your own fundraising endeavours? Get in touch with the QVH Charity team at qvh.supportqvh@nhs.net or call 01444 414392 to have a chat!