Located on Woodcross Street in Wolverhampton, Cygnet Sedgley House and Lodge is a 34-bed high support inpatient rehabilitation (level 2) service for men with mental health needs.
A team of staff and service users at the Cygnet Health Care service took part in a four-mile sponsored walk for Cancer Research UK, raising £325.
Cancer Research UK 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 multidisciplinary team at Cygnet Sedgley House and Lodge were exploring ideas for fundraising when service users said they wanted to do something to raise money for a worthy cause whilst collaborating with staff.
Hailey Roberts, Head of Occupational Therapy at Cygnet Sedgley, explained how the fundraiser came to fruition.
She said: “A new initiative we recently introduced was joint walks between the service users and multidisciplinary team. We had great feedback from patients expressing how much they valued the informal time with staff as it gave them an opportunity to connect outside of the service.
“Our group then decided to take on something bigger – the sponsored walk. It was really important to our service users to help make a difference to people’s lives whilst doing something they enjoy with staff.”
Service users at Cygnet Sedgley House and Lodge voted for the charity they’d like to fundraise for, with Cancer Research UK being the unanimous decision, as many have had family and friends supported by the charity.
The sponsored walk took place on 11 June and saw staff and patients alike trek four-miles from the Cygnet Health Care service to the nearby Cygnet Hospital Wolverhampton.
Hailey said: “I am really proud of our fundraising achievement. These funds are crucial in supporting the development of new treatments, diagnostic tools, and preventative measures. It is so nice to know that we have had an impact.
“Beyond that, the walking highlighted the many therapeutic benefits of being outdoors and sharing activities with others. We were doing something for charity whilst also encouraging healthy habits, natural conversation, trust-building and new connections.
“The sense of pride and accomplishment felt by all was palpable as Cancer Research UK are such a worthy charity. Our service users definitely got into the charity spirit and are already planning their next fundraising event.”
