SOLIHULL NHS staff ran, walked, cycled and paddled to raise money for Sport Relief during this summer’s Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games
A 22-strong team made up of doctors, GP partners, members of the nursing teams, and other NHS staff took part in the relay across the borough as part of the sporting charity’s Move 22 challenge.
Dr Julia Lawley from Solihull Healthcare Partnership (SHP) got the epic relay underway by kayaking along the Stratford canal between Dickens Heath Medical Centre and Haslucks Green Medical Centre on the first day of the Commonwealth Games.
Each team member carried a gold baton as they ran, walked, cycled or kayaked the distance of their leg of the relay, which saw them travel by land and water between their seven surgery sites across Solihull and Shirley.
Dr Lawley said: “I’m so proud to be part of the team at SHP who took on this challenge voluntarily and in our own time, and successfully completed an amazing combined total of 65.71 miles of paddling, running, walking and cycling.
“We had a great time getting active, had lots of fun, celebrated the Commonwealth Games on our door step and beat our target raising money for Sport Relief.”
Sport Relief is an official charity partner of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, alongside United By 2022 and the Commonwealth Sport Foundation. Together, the organisations are working to raise money tackle inequality, improving mental health and helping young people to survive and thrive.
Dr Arturo Lupoli, GP partner and chairman of SHP, said: “We are delighted to be taking part in this challenge for Sport Relief with such a strong team of 22 colleagues from 22 different departments of SHP.
“We wanted to do something special to celebrate the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games taking place a few miles down the road and thought what better way than pushing ourselves to do something out of our comfort zones and raise much needed funds for Sport Relief.
“While raising money for charity, we also hope the challenge will help to inspire our patients to stay active as a means of improving both their physical and mental health.”
For more or to find out how to get involved in Sport Relief click here.
