Tour de Hospitals raises £6,671 for Bridlington Hospital   

A team of cycling enthusiasts from York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation has raised £6,671 by taking part in a sponsored bike in aid of York Teaching Hospital Charity. 

The sponsored bike ride took place on Sunday 13 July. Beginning at York Hospital, the riders cycled to Malton and Scarborough Hospitals before finishing at Bridlington Hospital – a total journey of 75 miles.

The team of 15 included staff from Bridlington, York and Scarborough Hospitals as well as Deputy Chief Executive Mike Proctor. 

Bridlington Hospital Maintenance Engineer and team member, Franco Villani, explained: “With all the excitement around the Tour de France we thought that it would be a great idea to organise our own charity bike ride.  

“When we set out we hoped to raise about £200 so to have raised £6,671 is amazing.

“I would like to thank everyone who cycled, supported and made a donation.

“The money is going towards buying additional comfort items for the Bridlington Orthopaedic Unit and after discussions with staff and Consultants we have decided to purchase some new artwork for the lounge on Kent Ward as well as state-of-the art video goggles.” 

The video goggles, which play DVDs, will be given to patients to wear when they undergo orthopaedic surgery.

Mark Andrews, Orthopaedic Consultant, explained: “We prefer to use regional and local anaesthetic whenever possible to avoid the sickness that a general anaesthetic can cause. It also gives much better pain relief in the first few hours after surgery but some patients are anxious about staying awake.

“The video goggles can reduce the need for sedation and be a very good option for them. Watching a video can be a pleasant distraction and we have even had some patients laughing aloud during the operation.”

Photo caption: Cycler and theatre staff member Steve Holliday with the new video goggles. 

27 October 2014