The team – dubbed the ‘Kewstoke Swans’ – made up of staff and patients from Cygnet Hospital Kewstoke joined together for a 5-kilometre charity run.
Located on Beach Road, Cygnet Hospital Kewstoke is a 71-bed mental health hospital that provides emergency admission services for men and women. Across the five wards, the service provides acute, psychiatric, personality disorder and high support inpatient rehabilitation services.
A determined team of staff and patients at the Cygnet Health Care service participated in the Weston-super-Mare Race for Life to fundraise for Cancer Research, with over £200 raised.
Cancer Research helps to save lives by preventing, controlling and curing cancer. The charity helps to fund scientists, doctors and nurses to work towards prevention, diagnosis and treatments to help beat cancer sooner.
The Active Life team at the hospital are responsible for engaging service users in sports and activities, to improve their health and wellbeing. Alongside service users, the staff team have been participating in the Race for Life for the past 12 years and the event has become a yearly fundraiser for the Somerset service.
Sally Leddy, Active Life Lead at Cygnet Hospital Kewstoke, explained: “It was a great opportunity for both our service users and staff to be involved in a community fundraising event.
“Having a shared goal of completing the physical challenge and raising funds for such a worthy cause that so many of us are impacted by made it even more rewarding.
“This is a charity really close to so many people’s hearts as most of us will have been touched by cancer at some point. We are so proud to have supported Cancer Research in continuing its essential work in providing the much-needed support to those living with cancer and their loved ones.”
The Race for Life held on the seafront of Weston-super-Mare saw participants loop across beach, up the pier and onto the challenging sand to finish the race.
Six members of staff as well as patients from the Cygnet Health Care hospital’s Knightstone Ward, which offers intensive support for women with personality disorders and complex mental health needs, took part in the charity event.
Peter Morton, a Cygnet Group Active Life Trainer, said: “For lots of our service users, this was their first time taking part in an event like the Race for Life. Our staff and patients supported and encouraged each other the whole way.
“The service users were really excited about the event and the fact they were helping a great cause. It was a really positive and enjoyable experience for all and it felt great to have played even the smallest part in raising such a huge amount for Cancer Research.
“Everyone at Cygnet Health Care really cares for each other and are compelled to help others. The impact that physical activity has on people’s wellbeing is so important so this was the perfect chance for the team to create those positive moments whilst raising vital funds.”