Eleven employees from Twickenham-based housing association Thames Valley Housing showed their support for a special cause recently when they put on their running shoes and took part in the Hampton Court Half Marathon, raising a grand total of £5,359.45 for the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH).

The hospital holds personal resonance for Thames Valley Housing staff, as Jon Clowes, Regional Land Manager, and Kim Shanahan, Development Manager, have both had close family members treated there recently.

In April 2016, Jon’s son Archie (then aged eight) contracted Transverse Myelitis, a neurological disorder which causes inflammation of the spinal cord. Jon explains: “Last year was a difficult time for our family, Archie’s condition meant he had to learn how to walk again. After three months at the RNOH undergoing specialist physiotherapy, we were elated to finally see the progress of his rehabilitation. The staff are incredible in their continued support in his recovery as an outpatient.”

In June 2016, Kim’s partner Ashley Shanahan, a crane operator, experienced a major accident at work and suffered a severe spinal cord injury. He also received support and rehabilitation at the specialist unit over a period of two months.

Rebekah Ahmed, the fundraising and development officer at The RNOH Charity, says: “We are so grateful to the team from Thames Valley Housing for their donation. This is such a great achievement and one which enables us to do more for the patients we treat. We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone that took part.”

All of the money raised will help fund further improvements to the spinal unit at the RNOH ensuring patients can be treated more quickly using state-of-the-art facilities. If you would like to donate to The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust, visit the team’s JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tvhdevelopment.
 
Article supplied by Louise Jarvis
 


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The Thames Valley Housing team after completing the Hampton Court Half Marathon:
Front Row (L to R); Karen Paylor, Barney Wellings, Ayee Tavares, Tom Petrides, Jon Clowes, Peter Bowden.
Back Row (L to R); Rachel Allen, Christopher Thompson, Tim Preston.
Not pictured: Tony Raccio and Jonny Buck.