BUSY BEES - Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust

PC Saywell and Rachel Collins.
JR marathon runners raise
money for IMPS
Ward Clerk Maureen O’Sullivan, aged 60 has just completed her fifth full
London Marathon – running as part of a team from the John Radcliffe
Hospital to raise money for the Injury Minimization Programme for
Schools (IMPS). Other team members were radiographers Sarah Farley
and Chris Newey, staff nurse Dan Chivers and Oxford Brooks Sports
Centre Duty Manager Stuart McCarroll.
The team’s backgrounds, age, interests and level of fitness varied greatly
but they were all determined to complete the marathon and raise as
much money as possible for IMPS
The only member of the team who had not run previously was Sarah
who said that prior to training for the marathon “She could not even
run for a bus”. Her gruelling training schedule began in January this year.
Together with fellow team member Chris Newey she ran two to three
times a week. Sarah says that hill running was an integral part of the
training and this was something that she thoroughly enjoyed because
she “hates gyms and running is free”.
Dan Chilvers and Stuart McCarroll both aged 24 are keen sportsmen and trained together. They increased their running whilst putting other
pursuits such as rock climbing, mountaineering and kayaking on “the back burner”. “It was hard but I would do it again” said Dan. Asked about the
atmosphere on the day he said “It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced or seen before.”
IMPS was first developed in 1994 by a multi-professional team, from health and education in Oxfordshire. Earlier this year its future was in doubt
and closure was anticipated by Easter 2006, however, Oxfordshire County Council stepped in and provided much needed funding. When asked
how the money raised by the marathon team would be spent Debbie Lock, Development Manager for the charity said, “The funds raised by the
team will go towards the continuation of the programme – this money is desperately needed and much appreciated.
“IMPS continues to develop and this year has seen the launch of three new projects including IMPS plus which is an extension programme for
children excluded from mainstream education attending special schools.”
Dan and his fellow runners are still collecting sponsorship money but hope to raise several thousand pounds for IMPS. Staff wishing to donate can
do so by logging on to www.justgiving.com/danchilvers. By using this website to donate money the Charity receives tax relief on all donations.
Introducing the JR’s PC
The JR now has an established police beat officer, PC Richard Saywell,
who visits the site regularly and responds to calls from the security
team or the public.
Richard said, “A less formal arrangement has existed for a long time but
now we’ve got a more structured approach to providing police support
to the site it’s great to have such a proactive security team to work with
and this partnership approach is already helping us detect and prevent
crimes on the site.”
Rachel Collins, ORH Security Manager, said, “Richard’s involvement
with our security is really important, especially in helping us tackle the
disorderly behaviour and petty crime that takes place out of hours.”
Members of staff wishing to report an emergency on any ORH site
should call 4444 or call mobile number #6290.
What’s behind the
Oriental Garden at the JR?
Tucked away behind the Oriental Garden is one of the JR’s secrets
- a great bookshop! Blackwell’s have had a shop on site for 15 years,
however, many customers are surprised when they first discover the
shop and staff are always being asked questions such as “How long
have you been here?”, “Do you only sell medical books?”, or even
“Can non-medical staff come in?”. So the team in the shop want
to let JR staff know all about their services.
In addition to a wide range of medical titles, the shop sells many
non-medical titles and staff can get any book that is currently in
print within a few days – there’s even free delivery within the
Oxford ring road. They also stock a wide range of CDs, DVDs, toys,
greeting cards, stationery, wrapping paper and gift bags
So why not pop in to see what the latest offers are or give the team
a call on 01865 741663 or internally 20073. Blackwells is open
Monday to Friday from 9.30 am to 5 pm between 9.30am and 5pm
Monday to Friday or alternatively or email them at oxford.med@
blackwell.co.uk.