Former nurse Helen Lloyd will be swapping the corridors of Cromer Hospital for the picturesque streets of Italy's fashion capital Milan next week, when she laces up her trainers to take part in her 20th marathon.

Ms Lloyd, 53, who is operational manager at Cromer, ran her first marathon 13 years ago, achieving her best-ever time of 3 hours and 50 minutes.

'It was something I decided I wanted to do before my 40th birthday and I just carried on from there,' she explained.

Ms Lloyd has since run in events in New York, Venice, Rome and Cuba, also completing the London Marathon several times.

'My worst time was when I did the Great Wall of China in five hours, 59 minutes,' she said. 'It was really tough as it is all steps and it was incredibly hot, but I think I'm now known for my endurance rather than my speed.'

Charities benefiting from Ms Lloyd's efforts have ranged from the NSPCC to Cots for Tots, which supports premature babies, and when Cromer Community and Hospital Friends chairman Mary Northway heard about Helen's Milan run, she asked for her support.

The Friends, which is run by a small army of volunteers, has bought 'extra' equipment ranging from two £2,100 portable ECG machines, to £25,500-worth of cytoscopy equipment, which enables doctors to see inside a patient's bladder via a fibre optic camera.

'The past 12 years at Cromer Hospital have been very challenging,' Ms Lloyd said. 'But the Friends have been incredibly supportive, they are absolute stalwarts.'

The group has set itself a target of £2,000 and members have been manning a collection point in the hospital foyer for four hours every day.

Ms Lloyd, who worked as a nurse for more than 20 years before moving into management in 1999, will be setting off for Milan with her partner Stephen ready for the marathon on Sunday April 7.

'The really hard bit is the fundraising and it will be nice to go out there knowing that I have the Friends' support,' she said.