Cardiac rehab team for Worthing and Shoreham raises hundreds of pounds for West Sussex heart charity

The University Hospitals Sussex cardiac rehab team from Worthing Hospital and Southlands Hospital completed a 13-mile hike, equivalent to a half marathon, on Saturday, October 1, to raise money for Cardiac Rehab Support West Sussex.

Steve Hodder, trustee of the charity, said: "The team have raised more than £900 for Cardiac Rehab Support West Sussex. This is a great deal of money for our small charity and will ensure that we can continue with our potentially lifesaving work."

Led by Hayley Fairclough, the team includes team lead and physiotherapist Tracey Molina, cardiac rehab specialist nurse Kirsty Fletcher, cardiac rehab physiotherapists Annie Ray and Sandra Dooley, physiotherapy technical instructors Ruth Nicol, Nicky Bean and Diana Rogers, and secretary Jackie Bambro.

Diana Rogers, physiotherapy technical instructor, said: "Cardiac Rehab Support West Sussex is a registered charitable trust providing ongoing support for cardiac patients and their carers. CRSWS further support the NHS Cardiac Rehabilitation Service by providing new resources and equipment to help improve treatment options for patients, in addition to funding specialist training courses to ensure up-to-date, evidence-based practice, optimising patient care.

"They also promote exercise classes in the community run by cardiac-trained instructors and have supplied Littlehampton Health Centre with an AED (Automated External Defibrillator). CRSWS are a small local charity and they are keen to continue their excellent, potentially lifesaving work but need to raise funds in order to be able to do so."

The undulating route started and finished at Lancing Ring and took the team to Chanctonbury and Cissbury Rings too for what they called The Walk of The Rings.

Visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cardiacrehabworthingandsouthlands to make a donation and visit www.cardiacrehabsupport.org.uk to find out more about what CRSWS does.