Heartbeat has been named as a beneficiary of the 37th annual George Skeates Cross Country fundraising event in Stockbridge, which was held on Sunday, January 12.
The event was started by Mike Crossman in 1986 and has raised more than £100,000 for good causes since.
Mike’s friend, George Skeates, a keen international sidecar racing competitor, was badly injured in an accident and paralysed from the waist down.
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George Skeates was badly injured in an accident and paralysed from the waist down (Image: Heartbeat) Mike organised the annual event to help George.
Jeb Crossman, who manages the event, said: “My whole family was into off-road motorcycling.
“George was a dear friend of my father’s and his accident was totally life-changing.
“He was in his early 30s with a young family and my father wanted to do something to help them, so he decided to organise a charity fun run in George’s name.”
The event was a success, and two years later, George and Mike decided to organise another event to raise funds for the Inspire charity, which helps people with spinal injuries.
In the mid-1980s, Mike had a heart attack and died in 1995.
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Jeb is looking to increase the number of participants for next year (Image: Heartbeat) Jeb said: “Dad was treated at Southampton General Hospital, and we were so grateful to them for everything they did for him.
“We’re splitting the proceeds of our annual event between Heartbeat, Inspire and Horatio’s Garden, which provides wellbeing gardens for patients in NHS spinal injury centres.”
Jeb is looking to increase the number of participants for next year.
He said: “We usually get about 150 people taking part. For 2026, we’d love to get that number up to about 250, and we’re encouraging anyone who’s interested to sign up.
“It’s great fun and there’s a fantastic atmosphere on the day.”
Tanya Harder, community fundraising and marketing manager at Heartbeat, said: “We’re so grateful for the support we receive from this event.
“It really is a treat for the whole community in and around Stockbridge – a super day and a lot of fun for everyone involved.”
Anyone interested in donating or taking part in the 2026 event can contact Jeb by email at jebcrossman@googlemail.com.