Physiotherapy clinic embarks on 50km fundraiser for NHS patients

Physiotherapists in Solihull are urging people to walk or run 50km this month to raise money for patients, families and staff at four local NHS hospitals.

The Urban Body team are all taking part in the distance challenge using tracking app Strava, with the £5 entry fee going to the University Hospitals Birmingham Charity. They are hoping to raise at least £1,000 and participants are asked to encourage donations via the 50k challenge 's JustGiving page and post their progress on Facebook.

University Hospitals Birmingham Charity supports patients, families and NHS staff at the Queen Elizabeth, Heartlands, Good Hope and Solihull hospitals. During the current COVID-19 crisis, donations are helping to deliver care packs to nurses, provide staff with psychological and emotional support, helping patients to stay in contact with their families by providing tablets with video conferencing apps, and much more.

Urban Body 's lead physiotherapist, Phil Evans said: “Obviously these are challenging times for the NHS and we want the community to show their support for staff at our local hospitals by joining our fundraiser. 50k seems like a long way but it 's only an average of 2k a day for 25 days, which is achievable for most. January 's the perfect month to give yourself a boost so we 're encouraging people to become more active and do their bit for the NHS at the same time. ”

The Urban Body clinic is based at the West Warwickshire Sports Club in Olton, offering free assessments to new patients. Staff are trained at Degree level and have worked with Team GB athletes, Leicestershire Country Cricket Club and Loughborough University Physiotherapy.

Performance Physique running coach Arj Thiruchelvam, who 's also based in Solihull, has this advice for people taking on the challenge. He said: “Incorporate rest days, mobility and strength training to support your mileage. Don't try to split 50k evenly over the month, instead you want to start off small and increase the distance achieved each week.

“You should have one day off the challenge per week and if you're running, consider increasing that to two days per week. Make sure you perform ankle rolls, calf raises and bounces on the spot before you head out, then after you've been for a run stretch the calves, hamstring and quadriceps for 60 seconds each."

Pictured: Tom Gallagher - physiotherapist; Karen Evans - operations manager; Phil Evans - lead physiotherapist