HISTORY
The Club was formed in 1991 by Dr. K E Birkin, a former consultant at the Wharfedale Hospital, together with a small group of cardiac patients who were keen to continue exercising after completing the hospital rehab course. They were encouraged by hospital staff and offered accommodation in the physiotherapy unit at the hospital to set up and run their own group.
By 1994 about a dozen attended the weekly exercise sessions, which were were supervised by hospital staff. Since then numbers have grown steadily, with new members coming from referrals by local GPs, cardiac consultants and the Phase 3 cardiac rehabilitation programmes as well as from responses to our leaflets and posters. Due to increased numbers, more exercise sessions were added and professionally qualified exercise instructors were engaged.
STATUS
The Club is entirely independant and self-funded. For many years the Club has been affiliated to the British Heart Foundation and in 2013 the Club successfully applied for Registered Charity status.
MANAGEMENT
The Club is run entirely for the benefit of its members and its primary function is to provide exercise classes as described elsewhere in this website. Following the AGM in November 2022 the Trustees and Committee are:
David Farrow (Trustee, Chair and Secretary)
Ben Jordan (Trustee, Treasurer)
Judith Davies (Trustee, Membership Secretary)
John Hammond (Trustee)
Nigel Bolton
Peter Horrocks
Michael Elam
Andrew Davison
DONATIONS OF EQUIPMENT
The Club is independent of the NHS and is very fortunate to have use of the Physiotherapy Gym at the Wharfedale Hospital for its exercise sessions. This includes use of the exercise equipment in the gym. Over the years the Club has been able to make donations of new exercise equipment to the Hospital, most recently in 2016 when the Club provided new, professional standard equipment comprising a treadmill, a rowing machine and a cross-trainer, to replace old equipment , which was by then worn out.
TAKE HEART
We have been very fortunate to have had several items of new exercise equipment donated by our friends at Take Heart, the charity which is based at the Yorkshire Heart Centre in Leeds General Infirmary and does great work in support of cardiac patients and their families.
NATIONAL LOTTERY GRANT
We are delighted to have been supported financially by the National Lottery Community Fund through a grant of £3,500 received in January 2023.
