Staff at Sheffield’s leading ice venue will don their blades to skate 160 miles in aid of Sport Relief.

Twenty employees from iceSheffield will glide around the rink in the equivalent of skating from Sheffield to London in aid of Comic Relief’s sporting appeal, which aims to help change the lives of some of the poorest, vulnerable people in Britain and abroad.

The ice lovers will each skate at least half a mile - seven and a half laps of the venue – to take part, although most will test their stamina with a mile long skate, the more advanced going for the lengthy London distance.

Peter Morrissey, ice development manager at Sheffield International Venues (SIV) managed facility said: “Sport Relief is a fantastic worthwhile cause and is a national fundraising project we were really eager to get involved with.

“We are thrilled that so many of our staff have signed up for the long distance skate, which will be a brilliant way to raise what we hope will be a great sum for those less fortunate.”

Spectators are welcome at the sponsored skate will take place on Thursday March 18 from 12.15pm to 1.45pm.