Patson Daka and Harry Souttar Unveil Their Own Line of Gym Equipment

Funded by The Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Foundation, Daka and Souttar, alongside Club Ambassador Alan Birchenall, unveiled the equipment designed to enhance the physical well-being of mental health patients. The foundation donated most of the £5,000 for the multi-gym, offering Bradgate’s 150 inpatients new avenues to improve their fitness as part of their mental health recovery.

Supervised by Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT), the multi-gym offers weight-based exercises to complement the unit’s existing treadmills, cycling, and rowing machines.

“This is an amazing facility,” said Daka. “The staff here make a huge difference in people’s lives. Everyone needs to take care of their physical and mental health. Coming here has been an eye-opener for me. It’s been nice to speak to the staff and service users and to have conversations with them about how the unit supports people.”

The VS Foundation is dedicated to giving back to the Leicestershire community by raising funds for life-changing causes. Over the years, money raised has supported Leicester Hospitals Charity, LOROS, Rainbows Children’s Hospice, and Leicestershire Children’s Holiday Centre.

Mark Shenton, Gym Instructor at the Bradgate Mental Health Unit, expressed, “This is going to make a vast difference to our service users. Exercise is really important as it helps with emotional regulation, as well as motivation and confidence. The multi-gym will bring back a bit of normality to some people, helping them to keep their fitness levels up, something which can otherwise be more difficult to do if you are admitted into a mental health facility.”

In addition to the multi-gym, Bradgate offers supervised walks, Tai chi, low-level circuits, stretch, and get up and go sessions to improve patients’ physical health.

The multi-gym was funded by The Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Foundation and Raising Health, the charitable arm of Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust. The charity fundraises to support excellent care initiatives, equipment, and innovations to enhance the experience of patients, service users, and staff.