Mental health nurse’s 150km challenge to fund therapeutic activities for patients
A Denbighshire nurse is putting his best feet forward in a bid to provide better support for the mental health patients in his care.
Joe Lewis, who is based at Glan Clwyd Hospital’s Ablett Psychiatric Unit, is running 5km every day during November to raise money to fund therapeutic activities for patients to enjoy.
The 25 year old is nearing the end of his 150km challenge, which has seen him fit in runs around 12 hour shifts, and even manage lung busting dashes around the hospital grounds during his lunch break.
Joe (pictured) hit the headlines in October for helping to save the life of a suicidal woman on a bridge above the A55.
His latest act of kindness has been inspired by a new campaign introduced by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to encourage staff in its mental health and learning disabilities services to make small changes to ensure that patient time is better valued.
The #TODAYICAN campaign aims to save and free up 1,000 hours of staff and patient time each day through 1,000 stories of change across its mental health and learning disabilities services.
Joe’s fundraising efforts will help buy new equipment to support a vibrant and varied programme of therapeutic activities which are provided to patients by the Ablett Unit’s dedicated Activity Coordinators.
These include arts and crafts sessions, relaxation groups, gardening, games sessions, reading groups and world cooking.
Joe said: “We want to ensure that we maximise every second of the time our patients spend with us in hospital, in order to support their recovery.
“By enabling our patients to take part in a range of therapeutic activities such as arts and crafts, gardening, and games sessions, we give them a chance to get away from the hospital ward environment and get involved in something therapeutic which can help their mental health and make their hospital stay that much easier.
“Our Activity Coordinators make a real difference to our patients and any money I raise will help support the brilliant work that they do on a daily basis.”
To sponsor Joe visit his Go Fund Me page here: www.gofundme.com/run-5k-everyday-in-november?fbclid=IwAR1xsnEAiQckbnjBua9aKb3YPtr8dtk-nMniyeZik21mZ34DoNKaCt1FgTw
Picture (c) Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.
