AN Oxford tennis coach has pushed himself to the limit to raise cash for a young girl with cerebral palsy.

Stephen Melia, 24, of Iffley, coached tennis to about 40 people over 36 hours straight at the weekend, raising £1,500 for Zizi Gregory-Osborne.

The six-year-old struggles to walk and needs a £50,000 operation to improve her movement.

Mr Melia completed the endurance test at David Lloyd fitness centre in Oxford, where he works as a tennis coach.

He said: “It was tough. But it was more mentally challenging than physically, especially during the night.

“I purposely made the sessions at 4am as energetic as possible. They probably got the toughest lessons, but the time did go quickly.”

For the last stretch on Sunday evening, some 150 people turned out to cheer him on.

Mr Melia, pictured with pupil Jacob Charity-Williams added: “It feels overwhelming to have raised so much. It is fantastic and I feel pretty proud of myself.”

For more information or to donate money, visit justgiving.com/stephen- melia