BeInspired
#passthebaton
Our #passthebaton challenge is still going!
Need some ideas for what you could do to join in? Check out what some of these stars have been up to as part of the relay:
Swimming
Our very own Joanna Manley, Service Manager – Integrated Care Pathway, is a passionate wild swimmer and regularly makes use of our beautiful lakes (even during the winter!). As part of the relay she went to Crummock Water with her friends, fully equipped with wet suits and woolly hats, for some cold water swimming. Joanna describes it as being, “great for health and wellbeing, physically and psychologically.”
Swimming has been a popular activity and has showed up a few times throughout the relay, whether it’s in open water, a pool or aqua aerobics.
Midwife Julie Haigh (below) even spent her week of leave paddle boarding in the lakes with her husband, Neil!
Walking netball
Cayt, Nicola, Emma and Maggie (above) are all keen walking netball players and so used this as their healthy example. They said, “it's a lively session and we're hoping to do tournaments soon!” They also thanked Jess and Sara from their local sports centre for running the sessions.
Walking netball is becoming more and more popular, and information was recently shared about free taster sessions for the game being offered by Currock House Community Centre in Carlisle, who are also encouraging people living with dementia to get involved if they are interested.
Walking
Walking has been another popular activity, and one inspirational example we had was a student nurse based at West Cumberland Hospital who is going to be walking from John O’ Groats to Land’s End, to raise money for Eden Valley Hospice!
Other examples of people choosing walking as their healthy activity have included fell walking (Colin Holmes, above), a number of people pledging to walk 10,000 steps per day, and others doing extra-long dog walks.
Kevin Walsh (above) is a very active member of the community and is passionate about improving fitness and health by doing regular walks. He’s a walk leader for Walking for Health Carlisle, and encourages more people to get involved if they would like a friendly and social way to stay active. The walks are free for anyone to join, and new routes are regularly introduced to enjoy the scenery on offer in the area. If you’d like to join there’s more information here: https://www.carlislepartnership.carlisle.city/Partnerships/Healthy-City/walking-and-exercise
There’s lots of other Walking for Health groups across Cumbria too, you can find details about them here: https://www.walkingforhealth.org.uk/walkfinder/cumbria-walking-for-health
As a member of the public, Kevin has also joined our Trust as a Member! A key part of the campaign is to encourage people to become more involved with the Trust. Joining is free of charge and means you can receive newsletters and updates about services, as well as provide feedback and get involved in the development of your health services.
Running
Running is as popular as ever and lots of people have used this as their healthy activity for the relay. It ranges from people doing a couch-to-5k, to someone even beginning training for their first marathon!
We’re spoiled for choice when it comes to opportunities to run in Cumbria.
NHS staff can join the NHS North Cumbria Running Group, who go out every week, and even did their first competitive run this year. Group members Gill Long, Elaine Crooks, Robert Ainsworth, Helen Taylor and Ray Redoble gave #passthebaton a mention as they completed the Xborder 10k! You can join the group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/378866779728147/
The group will also be running the Carlisle Half Marathon and 10k in March!
Nicola Jackson (above) took part in parkrun as part of the relay – she’s a regular runner and volunteer at her local parkrun, and also takes every opportunity she can to take part in some parkrun tourism at other locations. parkrun is free for anyone to join and is a great way to get fitter and meet new people. Just visit parkrun.org.uk/ for more information.
Gym / Exercise classes
Lots of people passed the baton by going to the gym, and it proved particularly popular with physios! Physiotherapist Amir Yousaf (above) discussed the different uses people have for going to the gym – be it to build muscle, to tone, improve cardio, or even to socialise and make friends. Physiotherapist Barbara McCready (below) is also a keen member of CrossFit and kept the relay going by attending a session there.
Other examples of gym classes used included circuits, aerobics, Moky; Boogie Bounce, HIIT, and personal training programmes!
A huge thank you to everyone who has passed the baton so far – you are all stars!
There’s more information about the #passthebaton challenge on our website, along with many other examples of what people have been doing to keep the relay going: https://www.ncic.nhs.uk/trust/how-we-are-run/be-involved/pass-the-baton
If you have any examples of healthy activities, we’d love to hear from you! You can email your examples to us at helpdesk.Communications@ncic.nhs.uk and join the #passthebaton challenge by following these simple steps:
1. Become a member of our Trust here: http://bit.ly/34xmVrJ (note: if you're a member of staff, you're already a member of the Trust and so can skip this step!)
2. Take part in a healthy activity
3. If you have Facebook or Twitter, post about it using #PassTheBaton and tag your friends and family to keep the relay going!