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Joined-up walking for a good cause!
Written by Communications Team   

Anyone who has had an operation will have a list of questions that they want answering as accurately as is humanly possible. Probably among the top of the list will be: “Am I likely to get a blood clot?” and for motorists: “When can I drive again?”

Orthopaedic patients at the Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals NHS Trust will be nearer to getting an answer to both after money raised on a sponsored walk in early September is spent on two projects very close to the heart of Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon Mr Arshad Khaleel.

 

Said Mr Khaleel: “We all know that walking is a good form of exercise for most people.  We have a beautiful setting atRunnymede where people can put their best foot forward to help raise funds for our two special projects.  We would like people to put the September 9 date in their diary right now, before the “holiday season” takes over!

 

“The aim of the sponsored walk is to generate funds which will enable us to buy equipment that will be used to look for blood clots following joint replacement surgery on our patients on the orthopaedic wards. We hope to purchase a £4,000 mobile scanner that can detect a blood clot before it leads to a thrombosis.

 

“We also hope to use some of the funds to carry out research into when it is safe to drive after joint replacement surgery. This is a question often asked by patients and we feel our research can make a significant contribution to finding the answer in some areas of joint replacement.”

 

The “Joined Up Walk” will be held on Sunday 9 September, starting at 1pm by the Magna Carta Tea Rooms, Windsor Road,Egham. The route, 2k – or less – is across the National Trust land at Runnymede, and passes the Kennedy  Memorial before turning up the incline to the RAF Memorial at Coopers Hill.  From there it’s downhill all the way back to “base camp” where there will be refreshments and fun activities for youngsters.  The maximum time for the maximum distance is approximately two hours at a gentle pace.

                                                                                                               

 

Said Mr Khaleel:  “We hope that this will appeal to people of all ages and abilities. The walk is through an historic piece of beautifully preserved countryside, and people can choose how far they walk on the day. Apart from raising funds for a good cause there is a stunning view across the River Thames for those who wish to walk to the top of the flat roof of the RAF Memorial.”

 

Footnote:  The foundation of democracy in the British Isles began when King John sealed the Magna Carta in 1215 atRunnymede.

 

Anyone interested in finding out more about the “Joined-up Walk” or getting a sponsorship form can ring orthopaedic unit assistant Ingrid Shears,  Monday – Friday, 2pm – 6pm on: 01932 722337.