Ian's Run For ROS Helps Defeat Osteoporosis

Walfinch home care franchisee Ian Thompson has raised over £500 for the Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS) by running the Edinburgh half marathon.
 
Ian's run for ROS is part of the Walfinch campaign to raise £10,000 to help fund ROS's work, including osteoporosis research, awareness, prevention and treatment.
 
“I was proud to run for ROS, partly because some of our care clients have osteoporosis, and I have seen the toll it can take on peoples' health,” says Ian.
 
“Half of women and 20% of men over 50 will break a bone because of osteoporosis. It's one of the reasons that many older people are taken to hospital, and complications resulting from fractures can be the beginning of a downhill health spiral.
 
“Anything that we can do to reduce these numbers is valuable.”
 
Ian, who is the franchisee Managing Director at Walfinch Welwyn and Bishops Stortford, says: “I ran the course in 3 hours 33 minutes – a personal best – and I was delighted with the sponsorship I got from our Walfinch staff, other Walfinch franchisees and my family and friends.”
 
Ian started running about six years ago, and normally does six miles several times a week. He plans to do at least one more marathon for ROS in the next year. “My ambition is to get my time below 3 hours 30 minutes,” he says.
 
Ian's commitment to fitness chimes with Walfinch's inititaive to deliver free activity sessions to its care clients and their local communities. Walfinch offices across the UK run Walfinch Thrive Clubs offering activities such as appropriate exercise, chair yoga, arts and crafts.
 
Walfinch partnered with charity ROS this Spring, because exercise is one of the ways to achieve better bone health.
 
Walfinch Chief Executive Amrit Dhaliwal, who is a ROS Business Ambassador, says: “Ian's run is a great example what our partnership with ROS can achieve. We will be taking many initiatives to raise funds for their work, which will help improve lives not just our care clients but everyone.”
 
ROS Chief Executive Craig Jones says: “ROS and Walfinch agree that exercise can enhance and even extend peoples' lives. There is something that we can all do to help, and we will be supporting all of Walfinch's fund-raising to aid in spreading the message that osteoporosis is not an inevitable part of ageing.”
 
Other Walfinch ROS fundraising will include:

• Better Bones Coffee Mornings to spread the word about osteoporosis in local communities, possibly part of local Walfinch Thrive Club activity sessions.
• The Mighty Miles walking events in September, which franchisees, carers and clients can join.
•  Featuring ROS tips on prevention and treatment on the Wellness with Walfinch YouTube channel, and interviewing Craig Jones on Amrit's Walking With Walfinch Podcast
• Asking for donations from people attending Walfinch events.
• Anyone can donate to ROS here.

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