A SOUTHAMPTON-BASED cruise line has raised £300,000 for a cancer charity with a range of activities at sea and on dry land..

The donation from P&O Cruises could pay for 10,000 hours of specialist nursing care for young people supported by the Teenage Cancer Trust.

At least half of money was raised through P&O Cruises’ ‘Trek the Deck’ challenge, a 5km walk around the ship’s deck.

Passengers donate £10 per head to enter and receive a specially-designed Teenage Cancer Trust and P&O Cruises t-shirt.

The activity was originally launched on two ships during summer 2018, but it was so popular it is now a year-round feature on the entire fleet.

Elsewhere the P&O team organised foreign coin collections, summer fetes, and donations from ship visit ticket sales. Some staff also completed gruelling sponsored challenges such as the London and Edinburgh Marathons.

P&O, part of the Carnival group, began its partnership with the trust in 2015 and is aiming to smash their £500,000 fundraising target by December 2020.

The teenage Cancer Trust funds a specialist unit for young people at Southampton General Hospital, with a full-time specialist nurse and Youth Support Coordinator (YSC).

The trust’s youth support co-ordinators arrange events and activities for young people with cancer and help to keep their lives as normal as possible whilst going through treatment.

Laura Pearce, head of partnership management at Teenage Cancer Trust said: “We are so grateful to P&O for its continued support, generosity and enthusiasm for our vital cause. This incredible funding boost will go a long way to helping us to continue and grow our work.”

P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow said “I am so proud of this total which is thanks to the generosity of our guests and the hard work and dedication of our crew. I look forward to seeing this total increase even further.”