Health chief walks half-marathon for charity

‘TOUGH BUT ENJOYABLE’: Michele Moran, third from right, with colleagues after completing the challenge

By Simon Bristow, Co-Editor

A health chief has raised more than £8,000 for charity after completing a 13.5-mile walk between each of her organisation’s mental health inpatient units.

Michele Moran, chief executive of Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, took part in the challenge to raise money for trust charity Health Stars, which enhances services for staff, patients and their families.

Every year Michele takes on a ‘CEO Challenge’ which stretches her physically and mentally to raise funds for the charity.

This year’s event took place yesterday, and Michele has so far raised more than £8,000.

Health Stars is the trust’s charitable arm and after previously being run externally has now been brought in-house.

Anita Green, charity manager at Health Stars, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Michele for her dedication to the challenge and her unwavering commitment throughout the walk. The amount raised is fantastic and will go into various projects around the trust where we can improve experiences and outcomes for all.”

The CEO Challenge was sponsored by a number of local businesses, with the main sponsor being Sewell Group, which has regularly supported the trust through estates development work and sponsorship of a variety of events.

Branded T-shirts for the event were kindly donated by Hull printing firm Scribes.

The trust’s inpatient units are spaced around a wide geographical area and account for a total of 13.5 miles – equivalent to half a marathon.

The inpatient units sited across the walk offer a diverse range of services including forensic psychiatry and older people’s inpatient units, as well as a children and adolescent unit.

Michele said: “It was tough but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Seeing the teams welcoming me at each of the inpatient units really spurred me on. And thank you to all those who joined me at intervals on the walks.

“I am delighted by how much we have raised for Health Stars and I know that every penny will be spent on improving experiences for both our staff and our patients.”