Disabled children are getting the chance to learn computer skills thanks to an Army sergeant who marched 100km to raise money for new equipment, writes Madeleine Pennell.

Royal Signals sergeant Keith Johnson, of Vauxhall Barracks, Didcot, completed the International 'Death March' event, which started from Bornem in Belgium, in 19 hours and 40 minutes.

He raised £900 to pay for a computer for the Summerfield Resource Centre in Wootton Road, Abingdon.

Summerfield is a respite care centre for youngsters aged between six and 18 with physical and learning disabilities. It is due to be taken over by the children's charity, Barnado's, in the next few weeks.

Sgt Johnson was prompted to raise funds for the centre as his wife, Helene, a home care assistant, has worked at the centre and saw that it did not have a computer.

He did the march nine years ago with a group of friends, but this time he was on his own. He trained for three months by running for two hours early in the morning, three times a week, but said even that was not enough. He added: "I trained before the event by going running and I keep myself fit anyway but I was still dead on my feet when I finished. My brother-in-law, Lee Baker, came over to drive me home and it is a good thing he did because I probably could not have driven myself.

"It was hard because I was in 'solitary confinement'. I spoke to a few foreigners along the way but most of the time I was on my own. There were about 7,000 people in the event and I think about 50 per cent finished."

Sgt Johnson bought the computer from PC World in Oxford which donated 40 of software to the centre.

Christine Forrest, manager of the Summerfield Resource Centre, said: "Because the children have a wide range of physical and learning disabilities, this is appropriate because it caters for people of all abilities.

The amount of stimulation the children are getting from it is very good.

They can select colours and play games and there are sounds that give them feedback."