2009 P&O Award Winners Announced

1 December 2009

The LA Prosthetic and Orthotic Awards Ceremony for Service Users and Healthcare professionals was held on the 27th November 2009 at the Sheraton Skyline Hotel in London. This years event was attended by over 70 people and the LA would like to thank all the friends and guests who attended and supported our event.

The Awards have three main roles: to honour inspirational people who have been a role model and a symbol of hope to others in their quest to rebuild their lives, to recognise the hard work and dedication of healthcare professionals who make a difference in the lives of their patients and to celebrate the innovative prosthetic and orthotic products created by the manufacturers.

This year we have introduced a new Award Category - "Fundraiser of the Year" to recognise the efforts of an individual or company who has raised the most funds for Limbless Association over the previous year. We feel proud to be able to honour our supporters in this way by recognising all of their efforts and hard work in support of our charity.

The Limbless Association was honoured to have Richard Bacon MP as a distinguished guest at the event and he introduced the Hope Family with a moving speech and presented them both with their Fundraiser of the Year Award.

The awards ceremony was hosted by LA Chairman Zafar Khan MBE and Dr. Robin Luff, a consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine and the P&O Main Committee Chairman. Limbless Association would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the Judging Panel without whom this event would not have been possible.

The 2009 Award Winners are:

User Awards

Douglas Bader Award for Inspiration - Mike Stoneman

Services to Other Users - Stuart Holt

Professional Awards

Outstanding Service by an Individual Professional - Toby Carlsson

DSC of Achievement - Seacroft Rehabilitation Centre (Leeds)

Prosthetic or Orthotic Product Innovation - Otto Bock: E-Mag Active

New Award Category (Awarded by the LA Office)

Fundraiser of the Year - Sarah & Christopher Hope

Profile of the Award Winners

Mike Stoneman

Mike Stoneham is an amputee who has inspired others with his positive pro-active approach to life. He is the Chairman of the Moving Forward User Group at the Portsmouth DSC and has been responsible for a number of improvements to the Centre including; decoration to all waiting and treatment areas, a dedicated young persons area with entertainment and toys, a massive programme of creating a sensory and disabled accessible garden used for walking practise and quiet reflection, an IT information point, updated leaflets, a quarterly magazine and the introduction of a counselling service.

He has registered Moving Forward as a charity and he has raised large amounts of money and encouraged volunteers to carry out the extensive improvements to the Disablement Services Centre which has enhance the lives of the Users and Carers.

Mike has made Moving Forward an active and popular User Group with a number of social events. He has personally arranged many social events to reduce isolation of his members.

Stuart Holt

Stuart Holt has been a bilateral lower limb amputee since contracting meningitis in 1997 and has been able to offer invaluable support to other patients with a similar background. He has been very proactive in helping start up a new User Group at the Sussex Rehabilitation Centre. He attends all the meetings and contributes ideas to help improve the service. He has also helped to set up a Buddy Scheme with other members of the User Group and is to be one of our first official Buddies. Stuart enjoys liaising on behalf of other amputees in order to highlight any situations where patient services can be improved. In 1999 he took part in a sponsored climb on Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise funds for the Meningitis Trust.

Toby Carlsson

Toby is a prosthetist and Orthotist working for PACE Rehabilitation in Cheadle, Cheshire. He was nominated by an amputee couple who are both his patients. In his nomination they highlighted how he has helped them and other amputees in his care. Many patients feel that Toby has "something extra to offer." He is described as a kind and patient person who always had the time to listen to the difficulties his patients have faced with their prostheses. He would always have the skill to find the solution to the problem.

Seacroft Rehabilitation Centre

Over recent years, the Prosthetic and Orthotic service at Leeds has been recognised with awards for its patient centred service delivery model. The DSC plans in the next few months on the back of new developments to be in a position to roll out same day delivery of prosthetics limbs as a standard for primary patients and in the long term we would aim to role out this service to some established amputees. This Service will put us at the forefront, not only with in the UK model, but internationally as well.

Seacroft was also the first UK centre to integrate and use the Nintendo Wii to assist and improve patient balance, improve midline awareness and selective movement.

E-Mag Active

The E-Mag Active is the first electronically controlled orthotic joint system with a secure stance phase and a free swing phase that is controlled independently of the ankle and sole of the foot, without the need for a foot plate. The product is suitable for users with post traumatic conditions such as poliomyelitis, post polio syndrome and knee extensor failure or weakness.

Sarah & Christopher Hope

Sarah Hope kindly decided to raise funds for the LA by taking part in "Run to the Beat," a half marathon on the 27th September 2009 and the Great South Run in Southsea, Portsmouth on 25 October 2009.

Following an horrific accident two years ago, which killed a member of her family and resulted in an amputation for her baby daughter, Sarah Hope's husband, Christopher Hope, who works for the Daily Telegraph as the Whitehall Editor, decided to write six articles, five in the Telegraph and one article in the Daily Mail to raise awareness and funds for the Limbless Association.

As a result the British public have kindly donated over £80,000 and counting, despite the current financial climate.

Ray Edwards, the association's acting chief executive, said: "We extremely delighted with the support we have received from Sarah, Christopher and all the Telegraph readers. To raise this amount of money in a recession is amazing."

Please look out for updates on this article in future issues of this magazine and on the LA website. It is not too late to sponsor Sarah. You can donate online at www.justgiving.com/sarahhope or send a cheque, payable to The Limbless Association to;

The Hope Family Appeal
c/o The Limbless Association
Queen Mary's Hospital
Roehampton Lane
London
SW15 5PN

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