A football legend from the 1970s and 80s has cut the ribbon on a new hospice gym aimed at improving the lives of North Lincolnshire patients with life limiting conditions.
Allan Clarke, who played for Walsall, Fulham, Leicester City, Leeds United and Barnsley, and won 19 international caps for England, officially opened the Enablement Gym at Lindsey Lodge Hospice in Scunthorpe, which was funded thanks to a £10,894 grant from the Rank Foundation in partnership with Hospice UK.
The launch also coincided with Lindsey Lodge Hospice’s Open Day urging local people to find out ‘what it takes’ to provide hospice services during Hospice Care Week (7 to 13 October).
Lindsey Lodge Hospice Director of Nursing and Patient Services said: “It’s Hospice Care Week (7 to 13 October) and this year’s theme is ‘this is what it takes to provide hospice care’.
“We are therefore very grateful to Allan for joining us to mark this special week and opening up our brand new Enablement Gym. It is a perfect example of how we rely on grant funding and donations to continue to provide and develop our specialist services, which are aimed at helping our patients to live as well as possible with their conditions.”
As well as meeting Hospice staff and volunteers, Allan took a tour of Lindsey Lodge while he was there, and heard at first-hand how the gym facilities are already benefitting patients.
Lindsey Lodge Wellbeing Service Manager Sarah Hodge said: “We are extremely grateful to The Rank Foundation for this generous funding and to Allan for joining us to launch the Enablement Gym. It was great to be able to share with him just what a difference it is making.”
She added: “The equipment and support from our team means that our inpatients are able to do gentle exercise to re-gain the strength in their arms and legs, to such an extent that it improves their chances of earlier discharge into their own home.
“Building up muscle strength increases oxygen saturation and improves breathing, which gives people more freedom and enhances their overall quality of life.
“Some of our patients have been keen sports men and women who never thought they would be able to visit a gym environment again, so the surroundings and ability to exercise has a great impact on their mental wellbeing, so much so that we are seeing patients visiting the gym once a week just as they would in a social setting.”
