Robert has a ball for charity

SOME say when you hit 40 you're over the hill.

But when Robert Haigh reached his big 'four 0' he got to the top of the hill … and hurtled back down it for charity!

Instead of slowing down after 40 years of living with Spina Bifida, the HGV driver from Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, instead preferred to speed up to 40-miles-per-hour down a hill in Cheshire strapped inside a 12-foot inflatable sphere to raise money for the hospital that supported him through childhood.

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Robert was born with the 'split spine' condition and spent the first three months of his life in intensive care at the Sheffield Children's Hospital. The hospital supported him until his 18th birthday, something he wanted to commemorate by raising money for the Bear 2 appeal.

He said: "The Sheffield Children's Hospital did a lot for me when I was young and thanks to that I've been able to take part in a lot of extreme sports that otherwise might have been beyond me.

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"The sphereing was an incredible experience. It was a birthday present from my wife, Gillian, and it seemed like a good chance to give something back to the Children's Hospital, particularly with the campaign for the new ambulance ongoing."

Sphereing, or Zorbing as it is also known, originated in New Zealand and is the latest craze for adrenaline junkies all over the world, a cap that clearly fits Robert, which is why Gillian thought it would make the ideal birthday present.

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She said: "Robert's a nutter so I knew spehering would make a great present for his 40th and it's brilliant that he has used it as an opportunity to raise some money for a worthy cause."

Robert's stepson Rikki, 24, volunteered to take the plunge with him and the two were cheered on by Gillian, Terence, 22, Charlotte, 14, and 15-month-old Eleanor at the Cheshire sphereing site. They raised 300 for the Bear 2 appeal, which The Star is supporting.

The charity needs to raise 120,000 for Bear Two, the hospital's new paediatric intensive care ambulance, and are urging people from across South Yorkshire and Humberside to help them.

Kevin Bazeley, Bear 2 campaign leader at Sheffield Children's Hospital, said: "Congratulations to Robert on celebrating his 40th birthday by raising money for Bear 2. It's a fantastic gesture, particularly so many years after he was a patient here, but it shows that the work and support of the hospital stays with people for life and I'm delighted he continues to live his life to the full."

To make a donation to Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity please visit www.sheffieldchildrenshospital.org.uk or ring 0114 2717203

Follow the Bear 2 appeal on the hospital's charity blog. Click here.