THE SOUTH's ambulance charity is challenging people to outrun an ambulance in a great effort to fundraise vitally needed funds.

The South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) Charity is challenging people to take part in the 'go the extra mile' challenge to see if they can cover more miles than an emergency ambulance does in a single shift.

The virtual challenge, which runs from March to May, is hope to raise £10,000 towards the charity's vital work.

The SCAS Charity has worked out the approximate mileage an ambulance will drive on a typical shift from each of the Trust’s ambulance stations in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire.

Ambulances in Hampshire: North Harbour (66), Nursling (70), Hythe (81), Eastleigh (95), Hightown (109), Ringwood (110), Petersfield (117), Lymington (129).

The distance can be covered by running, walking, cycling or swimming.

It costs £310 a year to keep a volunteer community first responder (CFRs) active in their local community.

Chief Executive at South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, Will Hancock said:

“I fully support this latest fundraising campaign from our wonderful Charity team. With so many fundraising events cancelled over the last 12 months any money that you can raise during this challenge will make a real difference to our Charity and enable us to save more lives.

"We have over 1,000 CFRs across the four counties we serve. They are sent to life-threatening emergencies and other priority emergency calls in their local area. Last year they were sent to over 24,000 incidents but we can only keep them trained, equipped and operational with funds raised by the SCAS Charity.”