Members of Bournemouth Heart Club are to take part in a sponsored 10-hour exercise cycle ride to raise funds to help others including long Covid sufferers.

The event in the atrium of Bournemouth Hospital on Tuesday 13 September aims to raise money to fund up to 20 places at the Bournemouth Heart Club’s Keep Well Hub for people on low income who need to exercise regularly but cannot afford a regular gym membership. BHC exercise instructors will be there to talk to the public about the benefits of regular cardiovascular exercise, and to ensure that their members, all of whom have some form of heart condition or other health related issue, exercise safely.

Anyone wishing to support the fundraisers can do so by making a donation through the heart club website bournemouth-heart-club.org.uk/cash-donations/, at the club itself, or on the day in the donation buckets available.

Originally established for cardiac rehabilitation, today BHC (located on the site of Royal Bournemouth Hospital) welcomes patients with other conditions such as diabetes, stroke (TIA), COPD and more recently long Covid. Working alongside University Hospitals Dorset, it has already carried out trials on the benefits of exercise for people suffering from long Covid and other long-term health conditions. It has developed a 20-session, 10-week course including an up-front clinical assessment and end of course review. On completion, patients are encouraged to become full members and continue to improve their health.

Sam Panton, exercise manager at BHC, who devised the programme, said: “Here at BHC we understand that the benefits of exercise are more than just improving your cardiovascular fitness. By raising your heart rate by 40-70 per cent for 150 minutes each week, it reduces the risk of long-term health conditions developing by managing blood pressure, cholesterol levels, diabetes, and obesity.”

BHC has two fully equipped gymnasiums, and a staff of highly trained exercise instructors all of whom hold the British Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation Level 4 accreditation. This ensures members of all abilities are able to exercise safely and there is a choice of classes throughout the day from Monday to Saturday ranging from circuits and group exercise to open gym sessions, seated classes for people with mobility issues and online Zoom classes.

To find out more about the new self–referral Keep Well Hub, call the Bournemouth Heart Club on 0300 019 4522 or visit www.bournemouth-heart-club.org.uk

Bournemouth Heart Club has two purpose built, fully equipped gyms, a members’ lounge and tea bar, and its own car park. The Bournemouth Heart Club is one of only a few such places in the UK.