Fitness & Wellbeing: All your latest news and views

We’re seeing stars this month, from the teenager who took on a 1,000km gruelling cycle in honour of his sister who has a brain tumour, to the Cambridge walkers stepping out for Arthur Rank Hospice Charity.

MOCEAN OF THE OCEAN

It’s a frightening thought that if the current pollution rate continues, there’ll be more plastic in the ocean than fish by 2050. Shocking statistics like these (from The United Nations Environment Program) are what motivate Alex Platt, founder of planet-conscious brand Mocean Fitness. Describing herself and her team as ‘a squad of fitness fanatic, tree hugging, purpose-driven eco-warriors’, Mocean specialise in stylish performance wear for women and men, created from waste pollution. We particularly love this flattering Earth track top, £90, made from pre-consumption textile waste; even the zipper tape and pulls are made from 100% recycled plastic bottles! It’s lightweight, has thermal properties and is fast-drying too.

-Shop the range at moceanfitness.com

READY TO GLOW

The streets of Cambridge will be bathed in a golden glow on Saturday, May 13, as hundreds of people light the way on the Star Shine Night Walk.
Setting off from Cambridge Rugby Club at 8pm, walkers will complete a five or 10-mile route, to raise funds for Cambridge’s Arthur Rank Hospice Charity.
ARHC’s matron of clinical services, Carly Wills, says: “It’s great fun and an uplifting way to remember and celebrate the lives of loved ones. It also gives those of us who work for the charity an opportunity to remember the patients we care for.”
More than 300 walkers and 80 volunteers helped raise £34,000 during last year’s event.
- Find out more at arhc.org.uk or by calling (01223) 675888

BROTHERLY LOVE

Schoolboy Flint Clarke has become the youngest ever competitor to take on a gruelling 1,000 km cycle across France in honour of his sister Mimi, who has a brain tumour.

The 14-year-old took on ultra-endurance event, The Unknown Race, in April (alongside dad Matthew), raising £15,000 for children’s brain tumour charity, Tom’s Trust.

Mimi was diagnosed with a brain tumour when she was just three, and began receiving support from the charity. Now 13, and a Young Ambassador for Tom’s Trust, she has faced ongoing treatment, including proton beam radiation in Florida, and continues to need help and support.Flint took on the challenge ‘to suffer and endure, in honour of all the children who have had to do the same while living with a brain tumour’.

Tom’s Trust in Cambridge was co-founded by Debs Mitchell, after her nine-year-old son Tom died from a brain tumour in 2010.

- Support Flint at justgiving.com/fundraising/flint-clarke

HANDLE WITH CARE

In a post-Covid era where doctors’ appointments are like gold dust, many people are being forced to self-diagnose and treat illnesses at home. With this in mind, Thriplow-based communications consultant Kerstin Rivett has launched a range of NHS-compatible care packs to help people proactively monitor their health, self-treat minor illnesses at home and better manage long-term conditions.

Kirsten, who runs design consultancy Fruition London, was inspired to create the easy-to-navigate paper-based packs following her own health struggles, which saw her set up a spreadsheet to monitor blood test results and symptoms.

“By creating my own historical record, and sharing this with my GP, I really helped them understand my symptoms, speed up the diagnosis and get the right treatment,” she explains.

Forget-Me-Not launched with three care packs – The Essentials, Dementia and Terminal Illness – and there are plans for further packs focusing on conditions such as arthritis and diabetes.The evidence-based folders include useful tools such as observation records, hospital stay checklists, memory support lanyards and labels, and wobbler reminders for pills. What a brilliant idea!

-Find out more at forget-me-not-products.co.uk

SWEET RETREATS
Join the Aikyam Collective on two transformative retreats this month. Head to Fellows House Hotel in Cambridge on Saturday, May 13, for a Connect Retreat, embracing Mother Nature, with outdoor yoga practice, breathwork, journaling, barefoot walking and self-discovery through angelic reiki healing, a crystal workshop and cacao ceremony.
Turn up the volume on Saturday, May 20, at Turing Locke in Eddington, with rooftop yoga, accompanied by a DJ playing live R&B and hip-hop bangers! Feel energised as you move through an accessible dynamic yoga flow session, releasing endorphins and connecting to the rhythm of the music, whilst inhaling fresh air. How restorative!
-Find out more and book at aikyamcollective.com