Twelve ‘rival’ teams from Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT) and Leicester’s Hospitals (UHL) will compete in a five-a-side ‘NHS Cup’ tournament in a bid to raise up to £4,000 for the benefit of patients.
Tournament organiser Sam Wilson, a therapeutic liaison worker from the Bradgate Mental Health Unit, says LPT’s teams hope to raise £2,000 to expand their ‘Sport at the Bradgate’ programme. He said: “Last year we raised more than £2,000 with an LPT football tournament and that’s enabled us to provide easily accessible on-ward sport equipment such as badminton sets, footballs and volleyballs, as well as providing a new recumbent exercise cycle for the Bradgate Unit gym. “This year we want to increase the variety of sport and exercise sessions we are providing for our inpatients to include activities such as tai chi and yoga. We want to make sports activities accessible to everyone and the tournament will help us to widen participation in sport give patients more choice in the activities they do.” He added: “The tournament also has knock-on benefits for the staff taking part as in the past many of our teams have gone on to play football regularly, both competitively and socially.”
This year’s tournament welcomes staff teams from Leicester’s Hospitals (UHL) who are raising money for the Leicester Hospitals Charity Kamlesh Mistry, UHL’s community and events fundraising manager, said: “Our teams are raising money for a variety of areas within our hospitals and it’s brilliant to see how sport can get everyone together to have a great time and to stay active.”
The NHS Cup 2017 has a dedicated JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/nhscup2017 which makes donating easy and spectators and supporters are welcome to watch the tournament on the day.
Every £1 raised will help to improve opportunities for patients in hospital and on mental health wards. Caption:
Warming up for the NHS Cup are LPT’s Bradgate Unit colleagues (left to right): Mark Shenton (gym instructor), Cat Mahon (therapeutic liaison worker), tournament organiser Sam Wilson (therapeutic liaison worker) and Steven Frediani (occupational therapist).