Lecturer to tackle charity challenge

UCLan PaST's Ian Tootill is set to take part in a mammoth charity challenge.

Ian and a group of friends will tackle seven events over nine months in memory of a friend's mum who recently passed away after a long struggle with cancer.

The group have targeted raising £15,000 for The Christie Charitible Fund.

Full details on the challenge can be found here and to make a donation please click here.

UCLan Past supports Health Mela

Dan with 2nd year student Ellie Newby

UCLan PaST undergraduates took part in the hugely successful Preston Health Mela 2014 held at the Guild Hall earlier this month.

First year student and Chartered Society of Physiotherapists (CSP) representative Dan Roberts led the group who promoted the CSP's 'Physiotherapy Works' campaign at the event.

The students provided visitors to the Mela, a Sanskrit word for gathering, with evidence that physiotherapy helps with a wide range of conditions.

"I took to asking people on the day what was the first thing they thought when they heard physiotherapy, and, of course, most people related it to sport," said Dan.

"It was really about educating people that physiotherapy can offer a lot more than that."

His advice to physiotherapy students is this type of public engagement can help develop good communication skills, and is a useful addition to placements.

"Continuing professional development is being pushed at the moment, and this type of activity is something students can add to their portfolio. When it comes to graduation and interviews, it's good for us to speak about and reflect on what we've learned from this kind of experience."

The Mela was organised by the National Forum for Health and Wellbeing and sponsored by organisations including local councils and NHS trusts.

More pictures from the event (courtesy of Keith Byers) can be viewed here.

Roller Girls complete charity challenge

UCLan PaST Lecturer Mandy Dunbar and the Preston Roller Girls completed their charity roller-skating challenge in style at the sun-soaked UCLan Sports Arena last Saturday.

The girls skated 874 miles - the distance between Land's End and John O'Groats - in just over five hours in aid of St Catherine's Hospice and Preston's Space Centre.

Nearly £1,700 has been raised so far and the girls are hoping further donations will take this through the £2,000 barrier. More details of how to donate can be found here.

UCLan Roller Girl's wheely big challenge

UCLan PaST Lecturer Mandy Dunbar is set to take part in a unique charity roller-skating challenge.

Mandy will join her teammates from the Preston Roller Girls in an attempt to skate the distance between Land's End and John O'Groats to raise money for St Catherine's Hospice and Preston's Space Centre.

The club has set themselves the challenge of skating 874 miles around UCLan Sports Arena cycle track in just one day. Splitting the distance between the members taking part, it means each Roller Girl will skate approximately 30 miles at the event, which takes place on Saturday May 17th.

Mandy, who goes by the skater name Mandible Lecture, said: "We took part in a skater marathon last year and everyone really enjoyed it - we wanted to do something similar this year and after a discussion decided the distance between Land's End and John O'Groats was a suitably tough challenge which people would recognise and relate to.

"We were very keen that the event supported two local charities - as a group we've developed a lot in recent years and wouldn't have been able to do that without the great support of people locally, so wanted this to be our way of giving something back.

"We asked for nominations from members and compiled a short-list - St Catherine's and Space Centre came out with the most votes. It was clear that a lot of our team had been touched by the work of the hospice through the experiences of family and friends."

Mandy admitted the challenge was going to be 'tough' - but said their team spirit and motivation to succeed for the charities involved would keep them going.

"The distance involved is a little daunting!" she said. "But we're all very excited and will urge each other on and help each other out. The more experienced skaters will probably end up covering a bit more, but between us we'll get there! There's bound to be a few wobbly legs that evening, but it should be a fantastic day and it will all be worthwhile.

"Roller Derby is a very athletic, tough sport - people call it 'rugby on roller-skates!' We all love the physicality and the inclusivity of it, with everyone playing their different role within the team. We know this team spirit will come into play on the day and should help us raise vital funds for two great local causes."

Emma Jacovelli, fundraiser at St Catherine's Hospice, praised the team for their unusual stunt, and said: "Our wonderful supporters do all sorts of fun sponsored events in aid of the hospice - a sponsored skate on this scale is certainly one of the more unusual challenges!

"We're so grateful to the Preston Roller Girls for taking this on in aid of the hospice and wish them lots of luck on the day. The funds raised will help us deliver our specialised care and support to those affected by life-shortening conditions in Central Lancashire - helping them to enjoy quality of life, and have dignity in death."

For more details of how to sponsor the Preston Roller Girls for the challenge please click here.

So you want to be a Physiotherapist?

Current undergraduate Jessica Large has kindly provided some feedback about her life as a UCLan Physiotherapy student:

"My days generally take two different forms. In university I have lectures or practical sessions to teach and develop the skills needed to become a physiotherapist. These are sometimes quite hard to get your head around, but our tutors are always there to help and the cohort makes it fun.

"All of this prepares us for the other aspect of learning which are the clinical placements. This is where things really start to click and fit into place with the everything you've learned. You develop clinical reasoning from treating patients, and I can honestly say you start to feel like a physiotherapist and not just a student by the end of it.

"Every day is different and on placement you'll see things you didn't expect to see or that fit into the physiotherapist box. You're forever learning, and this will carry on as you become qualified and drop the student title."

Graham's clinic blossoms

Our programmes offer a route into many varied careers within Sports Therapy.

Graham Theobald progressed through our Foundation route to secure a First Class honours degree and now runs his own Sports Injury & Rehabilitation Clinic. He recently shared his experiences with current undergraduates.

"I initially studied Health and Social Care at UCLan, but decided it wasn't for me. I enrolled on the Sports Therapy course and focused hard on achieving my goal of having my own clinic.

"Long before I graduated I designed a working values-based clinical model and secured finance with an in-depth business plan. The clinic opened a week after I completed my course and six years later we have around 4,000 clients."

Graham also undertakes significant amounts of research work, and believes it's important for Sports Therapists to gain an understanding of different types of injuries.

"It's crucial to know your sports, to experience them and understand the different types of mechanisms involved. You've also got to have a passion for what you do, work hard and be reliable – clients may sometimes be late, but you never should be."

Graham spends time working with elite cyclists and is currently working towards his MPhil/PhD award. He also hopes to open a second clinic within the next 18 months.