A team of 11 brave colleagues who work within the Cardiology Centre at Bath’s Royal United Hospital will take part in The Forever Friends Appeal’s Firewalk this March, in order to raise funds towards a vital piece of medical equipment.
On Sunday 20th March, the team of 11 will arrive at Bath’s Lansdown Cricket Club and join other brave participants to walk over red hot coals burning at over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
By taking part in the Firewalk the Cardiac team will raise a minimum of £700 which will be put towards buying a new “Ambulatory ECG Monitor” for the Cardiology Centre.
The 11 colleagues will be led by Helen Twemlow, Head of Adult Technical Services for Cardiology at the RUH.
Helen explained: “The Ambulatory ECG Monitor is a vital piece of equipment for cardiac patients, which is able to record the electrical activity of the heart.
“The human heart produces small electrical impulses which spread through the heart muscle to make it contract and these impulses can be detected by the ECG machine to detect its general rhythm and rate.
“An ECG recording is painless – it doesn’t put any electricity into one’s body and the monitor can be worn whilst the patient is walking about.
“The machine’s reading can tell us whether there are any irregularities in the heart beat when recorded over a 24 – 48 hour period. Patients commonly wear this monitor to strive to capture dizziness and palpitations.”
Back by popular demand, The Forever Friends Appeal’s Firewalk will take place on Sunday 20th March 2016 at Bath’s Lansdown Cricket Club.
The Fire Walk is being organized by Time4Change and its founder Cliff Mann, the most experienced firewalking instructor in Europe.
The entry fee is £30 and participants can choose to take part to support the Appeal’s RUH Cancer Care Campaign or a ward or department of their choice at the hospital.
Helen continued: “We are all very excited about facing our fears and walking over fire in March to help transform care for our patients.
“This is the first time that any of us in Cardiology will have taken part in a Firewalk and I encourage anyone out there to come and join us in March for what will be a very special, “once in a lifetime” experience!
“We are also welcoming any Cardiology patients to join our team or if you are unable to walk, then please donate to our Just Giving page!”
Emily Lynch, Events & Community Officer for the Appeal, said: “We are so grateful that the Cardiology Centre are taking part in the Firewalk to raise vital funds for their own department.
“Taking part in a Firewalk is a great way to challenge yourself, increase your confidence and overcome your fears while making a real difference at the Royal United Hospital.
“Open to both RUH Staff and members of the general public, we still have places left on the Firewalk and hope that as many people as possible take part in support of either the RUH Cancer Care Campaign, or a ward or department of their choice”.
Places are limited and online entries are now open. To sign up online today and make a real difference to patients and their families at the RUH, visit www.foreverfriendsappeal.co.uk or contact Laura Pearce on 01225 821535.
To donate to Helen and the Cardiology team’s Just Giving page, visit: www.justgiving.com/Helen-Hodgson5/.
