We are delighted to announce that N&N Hospitals Charity will be an official Run Norwich charity partner for this year’s event on Sunday 19th July.

Run Norwich is an award-winning 10-kilometre road race, organised by the Norwich City FC Community Sports Foundation (CSF) that takes place in the heart of Norwich’s beautiful and historic city centre.

The route passes some of the city’s most iconic landmarks including Norwich Castle, The Forum, Norwich Cathedral, and many more.

The inaugural event took place in 2015, and since then thousands of runners have taken to the city centre streets for the annual race.

The course has been designed to create a unique experience in Norwich for runners and spectators, with music and entertainment along the route.

Last year’s event sold out all 7,000 entries in just four days so we are delighted to be a partner for this fantastic event in the running calendar.

The Norfolk and Norwich Hospitals Charity is a local charity benefiting everyone who uses our hospitals. The main aim of the charity is to improve patient, visitor and staff welfare at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Cromer and District Hospital and Jenny Lind Children’s Hospital.

What does this mean for us?

We will have 30 runners raising money for the Jenny Lind Children’s Hospital, and specifically to refurbish and create more inclusive play spaces on Buxton Paediatric Inpatient Ward suitable for all children and young people. Currently over 300 children with learning difficulties are under the care of the Children and Young People’s Learning Disability Liaison Team.

These children are known to have more hospital admissions and greater lengths of hospital stay than children without disabilities.

For many patients with learning disabilities and/or autism, the sensory aspect of a ward environment can be incredibly difficult to manage, ranging from the noise, smell and bright lighting.

Without a suitable area to go to, our patients can experience unnecessary emotional distress. Recovery can also be prolonged, and ultimately their discharge delayed, due to the child not having an appropriate area to recover that suits their sensory needs.

When these children are exposed to overstimulating sensory environments (such as a busy acute hospital), their way of communicating their distress and discomfort may be to present with behaviour perceived to be challenging.

We want to provide a suitable play space for children and young people with additional needs to interact and relax during what can be an extremely stressful and anxious time. With a dedicated low-stimulating sensory area, these children would be able to recuperate much more effectively.

We already have a waiting list of potential runners hoping to raise money for the charity, but should any places come available, these will be advertised via our website nnuh.org.uk Twitter @NNUHCharity and www.facebook.com/nnuhcharity1

We would also be delighted for runners who have secured their own place to join the team raising money for the Buxton Ward project or indeed, any other department within the hospital.

You can find out more about the run at www.runnorwich.co.uk

www.facebook.com/runnorwich
www.twitter.com/runnorwich
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Event hashtag: #RN20