A keen motorcyclist has raised more than £500 for the Cardiac Rehabilitation Service at the Trust to say thanks for the care he received following heart surgery.
Peter Upton, 66, wanted to acknowledge the support from the team after he underwent an operation to fit five stents at City Hospital, Birmingham, which is run by Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust.
Following the surgery in August he was referred to the cardiac rehab service, who run twice weekly virtual exercise classes to help heart patients with their recovery.
Peter runs The Ibex Trials Motorcycle Club with his wife Georgina, so decided to hold an event with nearly 60 competitors on New Years’ Day to raise the cash. The event, organised with other members Nigel and Luke Hewitt, involved bikes riding up difficult terrain without the riders feet touching the ground.
He donated a portion of the entry money towards the service’s Your Trust Charity fundraising pot, which is the official charity for the NHS Trust.
Dad-of-two Peter, from Tamworth, said: “The exercise physiologists and the rest of the team have been excellent since the day I was referred to them.
“They have followed up with my care and checked on me continuously making sure I have been able to carry out the exercises.
“I wanted to give something back and thought that this event would be the perfect way. I’ve now started getting back into motorcycle trials.”
Peter said the exercise sessions have helped him to become active again and have made a difference to his health. “I hadn’t been doing anything during lockdown and we had to also suspend club events due to the pandemic,” he added.
“These sessions have got me moving again and definitely helped me in my recovery.”
Jake O’Brien, Exercise Physiologist, received the cheque for £535 from Peter on behalf of the service.
He said: “The Cardiac Rehabilitation Team is overwhelmed with Peter’s generosity – this donation will help to pay for new equipment such as dumbbells, heart rate monitors and additional software which will further improve patient care and their experience within our service.
“We currently offer virtual and face-to-face exercise classes as well as home exercise guides and the heart manual. Peter has been completing his cardiac rehabilitation virtually and it’s great to know that our patients are not only benefitting from, but also enjoying the exercise classes. It’s important to provide our patients with the best care possible, whether we are seeing patients in the nurse-led clinics or when we are instructing exercise classes.
“Cardiac Rehab is proven to reduce hospital re-admissions and this amazing donation will help our service to look at innovative ways in engaging more patients with different delivery methods. The physical, psycho-social and mental wellbeing of all of our patients is paramount as they have been through quite a life changing experience when it comes to their health. We’d like to thank Peter and those who took part in the event for this fantastic donation.”
Amanda Winwood, Fundraising Manager for Your Trust Charity, said: “It’s been quite a challenging two years for all of our staff and so it is always welcome when our communities recognise the dedication of our teams.
“Many of our services have a fundraising pot which goes towards enhancing the experiences of our patients, their families and staff. We’d like to thank Peter and the club for their support.”
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