Kingston Hospital: Gimme Shelter
Nearly two years in the making, last month representatives from several local cycling clubs opened a brand-new bike storage facility for staff at Kingston Hospital.
The launch of the new bike shelter came off the back of a fundraiser launched by Kingston Wheelers in February 2023 and supported by several other local clubs; Epsom, Kingston Juniors, New Malden Velo, Surrey Cycling Club, Velosport and Waldy Wheelers. The combined efforts from the clubs raised just under £10,000 towards the project led by Kingston Hospital Charity, which does amazing work to create better facilities for staff and patients alike.
Located near the Esher Wing of the hospital, the new secure facility will give staff over 50 much-needed space to park their bikes safely. The shelter was opened by the hospital’s CFO Yarlini Roberts, with our club president Derek Griffiths and members of the Kingston Juniors Damian Hui cutting the ribbon to mark it officially open. It was greeted with enthusiasm by hospital staff, many of whom have struggled to find secure bike parking, and in some cases, had bikes stolen.
This was a continuation of our work with Kingston Hospital Charity following a fundraiser during the pandemic, which helped create a well-being centre for hospital staff. Harry Bunnell helped spearhead the efforts and explains where the inspiration came from for this project;
“When we heard that staff at Kingston Hospital were having bikes stolen on a regular basis due to lack of secure parking, it immediately felt like a problem we wanted to help with. With the 75th anniversary of the NHS back in 2023, we created the Ride for 75 fundraiser to help raise money for a new secure bike storage facility.
We started reaching out to other cycling clubs in the local area and had soon amassed a small army of fundraisers doing their bit to raise money. It was a great demonstration of the power of the collective to make a difference in the local community.
Big thanks to the team at Kingston Hospital Charity (Rob Aldous, Rupert Meredith-Jones and previously Tracey Shaw) who work tirelessly behind the scenes to support the hospital and its workforce.“
Find out more about Kingston Hospital Charity and it’s latest projects here.
