Sherwood Forest Hospitals is supporting its staff and patients’ health and wellbeing by taking over a local 5k Parkrun on Saturday, 29th February.

The free event, taking place at 9am at Brierley Forest, Huthwaite, is available for Sherwood Forest Hospitals staff and members of the public to participate in.

Staff and members of the public are encouraged to support the trust’s vision and strategic objectives, which include promoting and supporting health and wellbeing.

David Selwyn, Sherwood Forest Hospitals’ Medical Director and the Director of the Centre for Perioperative Care for the Royal College of Anaesthetists, says: “Physical activity is one of the great ways to support the health and wellbeing of our staff and patients.

“By taking over the Parkrun, we hope to encourage staff and members of the public to incorporate more exercise into their lifestyles. Patients that regularly take part in physical activity can see benefits such as a quicker recovery period after having an operation and an improvement to their mental health and mood.”

Danielle Woods, Perioperative Clinical Educator in Theatre Recovery at Sherwood Forest Hospitals, regularly takes part in parkruns each weekend. She adds: “Parkrun is a great way to keep fit or introduce a bit more exercise into your life.

“I have been going to parkrun with my family for the last two years and it has really helped boost my self-esteem and fitness levels. What I love most about parkrun is that it doesn’t matter whether you run, jog, walk or volunteer. It’s all about participation and there is a role for everyone.

“It’s important that we all look after our own health and wellbeing, but also support friends and family members with theirs. Attending parkruns as a family or with friends is a great way to socialise, keep fit and really feel part of the community.”

Dr Rebecca Barker, Consultant at Sherwood Forest Hospitals had the original idea for a SFH takeover to support the trust’s health and wellbeing objective. She says: “I think Parkrun is great, as they are so inclusive no matter how fit you are. Everyone can still get involved even if you are not a confident runner or if exercise is new to you. There are options to walk, jog or volunteer at all events.

“I thought it would be great to incorporate parkruns into our new strategy to support and motivate patients to get fitter for surgery as this is so beneficial to their recovery. It is so important to promote and support the health and wellbeing of our staff, patients and members of the local community.“

If you would like to take part in the Sherwood Forest Hospitals parkrun at Brierley Forest, complete the registration form on the Parkrun website: https://www.parkrun.org.uk/register/?section=form

If you are planning to take part in the SFH parkrun takeover, you may wish to support the Sherwood Forest Hospitals Charity by fundraising for the event. You can find out more here: https://www.sfh-tr.nhs.uk/get-involved/our-charity/