A HOSPITAL porter working at The Droitwich Spa Hospital in Droitwich has raised over £400 to support young people struggling with mental health.
Leah Boot, 25-years-old, has taken on The Move 22 Challenge for Comic Relief and to date has cycled 13.7 miles and swam 2,414 metres.
No stranger to being active throughout the day, Leah who has worked at the hospital since November 2019, supports patients daily by chauffeuring them to and from operating theatres, X-rays and back to their rooms if they are staying overnight.
Leah said: “I like to think of us as caretakers in the hospital, we help out every department.
“Being a porter is really varied role and I get to do everything from supporting patients to checking medical gases and emptying clinical waste. I get to meet so many wonderful people every day.”
The Move 22 challenge launched by Comic Relief this summer encourages people during the 12 days of the Commonwealth Games to run, swim or cycle 22 miles.
This can either be completed in triathlon style or spread out over a longer period of time.
Not content with 22 miles, Leah decided to push herself even further for the cause and selected 44 miles as her target.
She added: “I’m quite an active person and have always been into fitness so picking the Move 22 Challenge seemed right up my street. As a hospital porter, I am always on the move taking patients to and from operating theatres, X-rays and everything in between.”
“I learned that Comic Relief had set up this challenge to raise money for young people who had faced challenges early on in life and who had particularly struggled with their mental health.
“This really resonated with me as I have struggled on and off with my own mental health and found exercise really helped to clear my mind.”
Initially Leah set her fundraising target at £250 but within a couple of days of her launching the fundraising page and sharing images of her cycling and swimming, she had surpassed that total.
Her aim is to now reach £500 by 13 August which coincides with her 26th birthday.
Visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bmi-droitwich-spa-hospitals-move-22-challenge to donate.
