A GYM paid for by an £11,000 donation from a businessman will help some hospice patients get back on their feet.
A little-used office at the Hospice of St Francis has been transformed and was officially opened by marathon fundraiser Matthew Loddy.
The super-fit runner completed 100 marathons in 100 days in his bid to raise £100,000 for the Northchurch-based charity.
The gym, complete with air conditioning and a Wii Fit, is part of the hospice’s approach to pre-hab – getting patients in the best possible shape before they undergo gruelling treatment.
Hospice director Dr Ros Taylor said: “It is about training people to keep fit so if they are going to go into hospital or have treatment they know how to get fit again afterwards.
“We are going to use the gym for people with breathlessness, balance problems, people who have lost their fitness after chemotherapy and to rebuild confidence and well-being.
“Some will fully recover, for others it will improve their quality of living for however long they have got.”
> The hospice’s fundraising Midnight Walk tales place on Saturday, June 30 and it is not too late for you to sign up.
Fundraisers will pound the pavement from Hemel Hempstead School to Berkhamsted and back again covering 11 miles, and there’s a shorter option of five miles on offer too.
Joining in will be HeraldExpress deputy editor Wes Smith. You can sponsor him at www.justgiving.com/wesGazette. To sign up yourself visit www.stfrancis.org.uk