A five-man team from a city building company is planning to walk 55 kilo- metres in a day to help raise thousands of pounds for the Oxford Children's Hospital.

Dave Robertson, 42, regional director of Johnsons Buildbase, is striding out across the county with four colleagues as part of a bid to raise £55,000 for the hospital.

The walk is the latest in a series of fundraisers by the company to raise enough to build a new waiting area within the children's ward.

Mr Robertson said: "I underwent a full hip replacement late in 2004 and will eventually require the other side to be replaced, so this challenge will certainly test me. It will test us all the full, but we are determined to deliver on the day. I feel very proud that we can help contribute to such a worthwhile local campaign and help thousands of children. The previous wards registered over 65,000 patients in the last 12 months and this new building will hopefully improve on that.

"I was invited to go up to the hospital when they first started raising money 10 years ago and I will dare anyone to go into a children's ward and not be moved.

"I have got three children and touch wood they have not had to go into the JR, but it's a very important resource."

Mr Robertson will be joined on the walk by light side manager Craig Tarrant, 32, bathroom and tile manager Shaun Johnson, 37, and administrators Kate Godfrey, 21, and Anna Karavias, 29.

The walk will begin at 8am on Saturday, May 26, at Johnsons Buildbase, in Watlington Road, Cowley, and will go through Garsington, Tidddington, Thame and Lewknor and finish at the Lamb pub in Chalgrove.

Janet Sprake, children's hospital campaign fundraising manager, said: "All of us here in the fundraising team are delighted with their ongoing support and wish them all the best for the day. Dave is a lovely chap who did the walk last year by himself. It is such a long way and it would be great to have people rooting for them and appreciating that this is not a stroll. It is a real effort and they are really going out of their way."

To sponsor Dave and the team, make a pledge at www.justgiving.com/buildbasewalk Every donation will be entered in a draw, with prizes ranging from a 37-inch TV to two cases of Champagne. Other events coming up include a sponsored parachute jump by chief executive Kevin Middleton.