Cardiac charity Heartbeat has been named as one of the beneficiaries of the 37th annual George Skeates Cross Country fundraising event in Stockbridge on 12th January 2025.
The event, which has raised over £100,000 for good causes since it began in 1986, was started by Mike Crossman, whose friend George Skeates – a keen international sidecar racing competitor – was badly injured in an accident and paralysed from the waist down.
“My whole family was into off-road motorcycling,” said Jeb Crossman, who now manages the event. George was a dear friend of my father’s and his accident was totally life changing. He was in his early thirties 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 day was a huge success and two years later George and Mike decided to organise another event – this time to raise funds for the INSPIRE charity, which helps people with spinal injuries.
In the mid-1980s, Mike Crossman had a heart attack and very sadly he died in 1995. “Dad was treated at Southampton General Hospital, and we were so grateful to them for everything they did for him” said Jeb. “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.”
Entries are closed for this year’s event, but Jeb is looking to increase the number of participants for next year. “We usually get about 150 people taking part,” he said. “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 a 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: jebcrossman@googlemail.com.