A PAIR of schoolboys braved ice, rain and broken roller skates to skate a seafront marathon in seven and a half hours, raising more than £1,700 for sick children.

Charlie Beresford and Alex Harvey, both 11, skated along the seafront from Shoebury to Chalkwell and back three times to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital on Saturday, December 1.

The boys, from Shoebury, dodged ice patches and needed sunglasses to protect their eyes from a chill wind and on the last leg Charlie’s skate broke – but they refused to give up.

Charlie, who goes to St Thomas More High School, said: “We were so determined. Even if the wheel had broken I would have hopped there from Adventure Island.”

After setting off at 9am in matching T-shirts, trousers and roller skates, the best friends, who only took up the sport at Roller City last year, stopped just four or five times to refuel on hot chocolate at Ocean Beach, Thorpe Bay.

Cafes, restaurants and businesses, including Rossi’s restaurant in Westcliff, let Charlie’s dad and brothers in with collecting buckets to gather donations as they skated by.

Alex, of Shoeburyness High School, said: “It’s amazing how many members of the public said they would donate because they knew someone who had been cared for there.”

The boys, whose motto was “we skate and freeze, you donate please”, dreamed up the idea after taking up the sport but only begun organising it after watching Children in Need.

They have raised money for the charity by selling biscuits and ice lollies, but the charity show inspired them to go further.

Charlie, whose aunt works at the London children’s hospital, said: “We watched Children in Need and we felt quite bad because we are perfectly fine but some children are less fortunate.”

Their parents doubted the pair, who have been friends since meeting at Bournes Green Infant School and play at Thorpe Bay Tennis Club together, would go through with the challenge.

Chrarlie’s mum Jo said: “We thought they were completely mad doing 27 miles and in December when it is so cold.”

One consequence of the boys organising the marathon themselves was a misspelling of their charity website.

To donate visit www.justgiving.com/rollerchallange.