Heart-to-Heart exercise bike ride aims to fund 20 places at the Bournemouth Heart Club

Bournemouth Heart Club (BHC) will be holding a ‘Heart to Heart’ sponsored exercise cycle ride in the atrium of Royal Bournemouth Hospital on Tuesday 13 September.

Club members will be cycling non-stop for 10 hours with the aim of raising money to fund up to 20 places at the Bournemouth Heart Club’s Keep Well Hub for people on low income who need to exercise regularly but cannot afford a regular gym membership. BHC exercise instructors will be in attendance to talk to the public about the benefits of regular cardiovascular exercise, and to ensure that their members, all of whom have some form of heart condition or other health related issue, exercise safely.

Anyone wishing to support our fundraisers can do so by making a donation through the heart club website bournemouth-heart-club.org.uk/cash-donations/, at the club itself, or on the day in the donation buckets available.

 Originally established for cardiac rehabilitation, today BHC (located on the site of Royal Bournemouth Hospital,) welcomes patients with other conditions such as diabetes, stroke (TIA), COPD and more recently long covid.  Working alongside University Hospitals Dorset, it has already carried out trials on the benefits of exercise for people suffering from long covid and other long term health conditions. It has developed a 20 session, 10-week course including an up-front clinical assessment and end of course review. On completion patients are encouraged to become full members and continue to improve their health.

Sam Panton, Exercise Manager at BHC, who devised the programme commented: “Here at BHC we understand that the benefits of exercise are more than just improving your cardiovascular fitness. By raising your heart rate by 40-70% for 150 minutes each week, it reduces the risk of long-term health conditions developing, by managing blood pressure, cholesterol levels, diabetes, and obesity.”

BHC has two fully equipped gymnasiums, and a staff of highly trained exercise instructors all of whom hold the British Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation Level 4 accreditation. This ensures members of all abilities are able to exercise safely and there is a choice of classes throughout the day from Monday to Saturday ranging from circuits and group exercise to open gym sessions, seated classes for people with mobility issues and online Zoom classes.

 To find out more about the new self–referral Keep Well Hub, please call the Bournemouth Heart Club on 0300 019 4522 or visit www.bournemouth-heart-club.org.uk

Bournemouth Heart Club has two purpose built, fully equipped gyms, a members lounge and tea bar, and its own car park. The Bournemouth Heart Club is one of only a few such places in the UK.