FOUR new mums took on a challenge to beat the baby weight and say thank you to the nurses, doctors and midwives who cared for them.

The friends, all from the Weymouth and Dorchester area, travelled a total of 720 miles – 180 miles each – in 12 weeks. They completed the challenge in a variety of sports, including running, cycling, rowing, windsurfing, paddle boarding, walking and hockey.

To date, the four – Alexandra Best, Sophie Ives, Amanda Arnold and Annabel Canaven – have raised more than £1,000. The funds will be donated to the Dorset County Hospital maternity and Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU).

The friends met at antenatal classes and all had their babies in April and May. They had such a good experience at DCH that they wanted to give something back.

Alexandra said: “We had the idea in the summer that we wanted to do something to raise some money. We also all wanted to get back into doing exercise, which isn’t always easy when you have a baby to look after.

“Sophie came up with the idea of doing a 2016 Pentathlon, and as 20+16 is 36, we decided to do 36 miles across five sports each.”

They gave themselves 12 weeks to complete the challenge, with a deadline of January 1. 

Alexandra said it wasn’t always plain sailing, but that husbands, partners and their own parents were on hand to offer support.

“I think we all did the same thing, thinking ‘oh there’s loads of time yet’ at the beginning, then with four weeks to go we all had 100 miles each left to complete. It can be hard to find that motivation when it’s cold and miserable out, but it’s easier with friends and my husband ran with me. We also went windsurfing when my mum was able to babysit – we travelled 7.2 miles around Portland Harbour in December, it was absolutely freezing.”

Alexandra added that she and her friends were thrilled with their fundraising total.

“We aimed for £500 but we were always hopeful we could reach £1,000. There’s still people adding to it, so it’s going up. We just wanted to do something to say thank you for the amazing service DCH staff provided. It’s something everyone in this area should be aware of, how much hard work and effort they put in.

“We are very grateful for everything they did for us.”

There’s still time to donate to the friends’ fundraiser. Visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/20-16maternitychallenge