Members of the public rallied together dressing up as their favourite superheroes to join healthcare staff at Himley Hall over the weekend for a 5k fun run to raise funds for the Dudley Group NHS Charity.
The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Russells Hall Hospital and Corbett and Guest outpatient centres, were also joined by family, friends, and the public for the 5k Superhero Fun Run, which took place at Himley Hall and Park on Sunday 2nd October 2022.
Over 50 runners took part in the race and all together have managed to raise £3,200 and counting, in funds for the Dudley Group NHS Charity’s Thank You Appeal.
Starting at 11am, the superheroes were be joined by some of the Trust’s virtual London Marathon runners who began their 26.2 miles marathon distance by completing their first 5k at Himley Hall.
Connor McManus, founder and head coach at Collective Fitness and Martin Lopez head of marketing at Windsor Academy Trust, both started their journey at the Superhero run and finished their marathon at Russells Hall Hospital at around 4.30pm.
During the pandemic, Martin tested positive for COVID-19. When his condition worsened, he spent time on an ICU ward very seriously ill. Thankfully, Martin recovered and the kindness of the NHS staff has stayed with him since.
Martin said, “I had a tremendous time on Sunday, seeing so many people at the Superhero 5K Fun Run gave me so much energy for what lay ahead. I found it really rewarding visiting the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust sites as milestones for mine and Connors running route. It was a great tour of the Black Country and I’ve never been so happy to see Russells Hall Hospital at the finish line”.
Connor McManus said, “It was great to be able to pull together a group of people to highlight the fantastic work the NHS does. The last three years have been hard, but it wouldn’t have been possible without the NHS which is important to recognise.
“The marathon was challenging, especially as most NHS buildings seem to be surrounded by hills! But it was worth it to bring vital attention to the work the NHS do and support the Trust Charity.”
In addition, district nurse at The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, Matthew Welch, alongside Louise Brookes, who is therapy lead from Midlands Orthopaedic Centre, both incorporated the 5k into their total running distance.
PureGym’s Dudley Port team began the day with a warmup session for all those taking part. HSBC UK Wolverhampton Market were also there to support, alongside Black Country Radio, with its’ hosts Paul Essom and Christine Edwards in attendance. Well-known local busker Billy Spakemon bought further musical motivation to the day as the runners readied themselves at the start line.
Diane Wake, CEO of The Dudley Group and trustee of the DGFT Charity took part in the run and said, “It was great fun to join our first ever superhero fun run and wonderful to see so many people turn up to help raise vital funds for our Trust charity.
“The work the charity supports is so important for our patients and their experience of our services and our staff wellbeing. It’s not too late to donate and help support our charity work, you can head to the Trust website and click the support our charity icon or head to Dudley Group Thank You Appeal 2022.”
Money raised for the Thank You Appeal will help buy specialist medical equipment for patients in need of specialist care including digital reminiscence technology for dementia patients, shockwave therapy equipment for Corbett outpatient centre and ventilators for the hospital’s respiratory ward.
To find out how you can support the ‘Thank You’ appeal, please visit the Dudley Group NHS Charity Facebook page or the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust website and click on the charity section.
