Lancashire Teaching Hospital’s Chief Nursing, Midwifery and AHP Officer Sarah Cullen will be running the Great North Run on 10th September to help raise vital funds for the LTH Children’s Appeal.
The funds raised will be used to help improve the experience of all children and their families whilst they’re in hospital and will contribute towards creating a calm, peaceful and relaxing space for children and young people who experience mental health or psychological difficulties whilst in our care.
Sarah has decided to raise funds for the LTH Children’s Appeal because she wants to help improve the experience that children and young people have when they stay in hospital.
Sarah explains: “Children and young people with mental health issues generally have a poor experience whilst in hospital. Lots has been done in recent years to improve this, but sadly sometimes the only safe place is a physical health hospital until next steps can be arranged. Our hospitals are not designed to provide the therapeutic environment that young people need in these circumstances and it’s an area we need to focus on. The funds raised will help provide more spaces with relaxing, therapeutic interventions that help at times of crisis and recovery.”
Sarah is training hard for the run, which will see her and 60,000 other fellow runners complete a half marathon. She is following a training plan over the next 5 weeks which involves her running three times a week and gradually building up her running distance before the big event.
Sarah is a big fan of running, particularly because of the positive health benefits it offers. She first got into running after making some important lifestyle changes following the pandemic, which she says has really paid off in terms of her health and wellbeing.
Sarah explains: “I have lost 2.5 stone in the last 2 years and I feel so much better because of that. I have always been overweight and on a diet of some sort. I love food generally and we are a big family who eat together a lot, so it’s built into our lives, but too much of anything isn’t good for you and I could feel the effects of being overweight such as backache, achy joints and low energy.
“Running has helped me to control how much food I eat. Trying to achieve a balance is the most difficult thing.”
“I love running through woods, on the canal – anything off road really. I find it really helps my mental health. I used to run alone but it’s quite boring unless you have a good audio book or music on, and now I mostly run with others and enjoy a chat.”
Sarah says that although it can be overwhelming to take that initial step and start running, the most important thing is to just move: “Don’t be put off. It’s really worth having a go. I feel amazing compared to how I was physically and mentally before I started running. I can’t recommend it enough!”
Sarah will be completing the Great North Run with her partner Alex and their friends Adam and John. Together, they are hoping to raise £2,000 for the Children’s appeal. If you would like to make a donation, you can do so at: https://greatnorthrun2023.enthuse.com/pf/sarah-cullen.
If Sarah’s Great North Run challenge has inspired you, you can find more advice on taking up running on the Couch to 5K website.
