Olympic rowing legend James Cracknell OBE and MP Dr Rosena Allin-Khan joined fundraisers at The Gym in Tooting to launch the Better Everywhere Appeal for St George’s Hospital Charity last week.
The Gym Tooting invited members, their friends and family, and residents to get involved by making a donation to the Better Everywhere Appeal, which benefits all parts of St George’s hospital and community services, ensuring funds are spent almost immediately on areas of greatest need on Tuesday, September 20.
The fundraising event involved a variety of group exercise classes, access to an extensive range of high-spec fitness equipment and delicious home-baked cakes.
Tooting MP Dr Allin-Khan said: “Having worked as an A&E Doctor at St. George’s Hospital, I regard it as the lifeblood of Tooting.
“It’s an honour to be involved in the launch of this new fundraising appeal and help make a difference.
“I’m keen to see us address community health issues, be it through the work of St. George’s Hospital Charity or supporting a local business like The Gym.
“The fundraising day is a fantastic opportunity to meet more people who are reaping the benefits of a healthier, active lifestyle and as a keen amateur boxer, I enjoyed doing my bit on the day by joining in a charity Boxercise class.”
EVERYWHERE BETTER: The day was a great success
Noel Cramer, director of fundraising at St. George’s Hospital Charity said: “The Gym is a great example of how a local business can support a local charity, and raising funds for our hospital charity means we can immediately support urgently needed items that are ‘over and above’ what is normally possible.
“Making fundraising enjoyable is so important, and we’re so happy our local MP and former colleague joined in the fun. Thanks to The Gym and all concerned for the support.”
SHOW OFF: Cracknell really got into the spirit
Hannah Manterfield, general manager of The Gym Tooting, said: “We were thrilled to have welcomed our local MP, Dr Allin-Khan, and Olympic rowing champion James Cracknell to our gym and help us raise money for such an important local charity.
“The support we’ve received has been overwhelming and thanks to everyone’s efforts, we’ve got the Better Everywhere Appeal off to a flying start.
“As a community-focused gym, it’s been wonderful to work with so many new members since opening three months ago.
“This includes lots of staff from nearby St. George’s Hospital who enjoy the high quality, 24-hour fitness facilities we provide and can fit in workouts around their shift patterns.
“They know first-hand what a difference new resources can make to the hospital so we want to thank everyone for their generous donations and ask people to continue to support us through our Just Giving page.”
To support the ‘Better Everywhere’ Appeal for St George’s Hospital Charity, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/The-Gym-Tooting and donations can also be made by texting the amount and code BETT02 to 70070. Terms and conditions apply. To find out more, visit www.thegymgroup.comor follow on Twitter @TheGymGroup
