Captain Sir Tom Moore fundraising helps KGH open outdoor gym

A new outdoor gym has opened for KGH staff thanks to funds raised by national treasure Captain Sir Tom Moore.

The inspirational former British Army officer raised £32.8m for NHS Charities Together’s Covid-19 Appeal by walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday on April 30, 2020.

He sadly died aged 100 on February 2 this year with Covid-19 at Bedford Hospital.

So far Kettering General Hospital has received a total of £269,600 from NHS Charities Together to support a variety of initiatives throughout the pandemic - and now they've opened a £31,000 12-station outdoor gym in their pocket park using equipment from local firm Wicksteed.

Kettering General Hospital’s director of human resources, Paula Kirkpatrick, said: “We are very grateful for all the support we have received during the pandemic thanks to the efforts of Captain Sir Tom Moore and NHS Charities Together.

“Captain Sir Tom Moore was an inspiration to the nation and his legacy has continued to help hospitals to cope with the pandemic and move on into the future.

“Our new outdoor gym has now opened and is a great way to help our staff to relax and stay fit and healthy.”

Other initiatives at the hospital which continue to be supported this year thanks to the NHS Charities Together donations are:

- A #WeCare Café – which opened in April 2020 – and is safe place for staff to decompress and relax in their breaks. It has had more than 68,000 visits since its launch providing free teas and coffees and snacks

- An Open Office Listening Service to provide immediate confidential support and signposting to relevant support services by staff – this service has had more than reached more than 2,000 attendances since its launch in April 2020

- An Out of Office Pastoral Care/Mindfulness Support where staff listeners visit those areas most affected by the pandemic and provide a ‘locally’ accessible listening service to staff in a similar way to the Open Office. This has involved more than 100 visits since its launch on June 28, 2020.

Jayne Chambers, who ran the trust’s We Care service during the pandemic, said: “These services have supported our colleagues throughout the pandemic and we wanted to continue to provide and expand them.

“Today the new outdoor gym is a great example of that and it is very much appreciated by our staff. It is also another fitting tribute to the support provided by Captain Sir Tom Moore and NHS Charities Together.”

KGH has received a contribution to funding from NHS Charities Together to maintain its We Care services until March 31, 2022.