PATIENTS recovering from brain injuries took part in a fundraiser to raise money for Unicef.

Patients at Chalkdown House, in Hindle Way, a purpose-built independent hospital and rehabilitation centre for people with a non-progressive acquired brain injury and behavioural disorders and complex needs, took part in the fundraiser after one of the service users expressed an interest in raising money for the charity.

Eleven of the 15 patients at the unit took part in the day, which saw them compete against each other across several disciplines to raise money for the children’s charity.

James John, a vocational planner at Chalkdown House, said: “It had been suggested by one of the service users here that we hold a fundraiser for Unicef, and I think it’s a charity that was quite close to his heart.

“We set a challenge to try and reach 100 points across a range of disciplines “There were three types of disciplines in different categories, and these were skill, power and endurance.

“For instance in the endurance it would be to try and get as many points as you can for squats, or how far you can walk or something.

“The points were measured by time so it was depending on how much you could do in a time frame.”

Staff, visitors and the service users themselves all dug deep towards the cause to try and raise as much money as they could.

James said: “It was a really positive day overall. We generally spend a lot of time encouraging the patients to take part in group work and group activities together because it helps them with their recovery.

“Sometimes it can be a real struggle but they all wanted to get involved and take part.

“It was rewarding to see them working together and encouraging each other as well and helping each other when they could.

To find out more about Chalkdown House, visit www.thedtgroup.org/brain-injury/our-services/chalkdown-house

For more information about Unicef visit www.unicef.org.uk