A charity which evolved out of a patient support group at the Bradford Royal Infirmary and Airedale General Hospital for people who have lost limbs is holding its first fundraising event later this month.

Out On A Limb members and supporters will complete a sponsored 16-mile journey on Sunday, August 19, along the Leeds and Liverpool Canal towpath, finishing at Steeton Hall, to raise funds to help patients returning home after amputations.

Nurse consultant at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Kath Vowden, said of the group which includes amputees, and their carers or relatives: “Life can seem very daunting following an amputation with worries about how you will manage at home and how you will get back to your everyday life “Out On A Limb was established with the specific goal, of providing information and support to all those affected by this life-changing experience, as well as giving members an insight into the positive achievements which can be made.

“We hope our first fundraising event will provide vital funds to help support amputees adapt their homes by providing temporary access ramps, as well as employing a support worker who can give advice about benefits and adaptations that people will need to make around their house as they adjust to their changed mobility.”

Every month, members and healthcare staff also meet for at least one social event in a bid to show that life doesn’t stop when you are confined to a wheelchair or have a leg amputated.

Recent trips organised by the group’s chairman, David Rushworth, and the hospital’s physiotherapists, have included a day out to Windermere in the Lake District.

Member Sheila Gill said: “If it was not for the support group picking me up from home and taking me out to their social evenings and trips out, I would go nowhere and see no-one from one day’s end to another.”

The group still need marshals and volunteers prepared to push wheelchairs for their first fundraiser. Anyone who can help can contact the BRI therapy team on ward 26 or log on to: airedaleoutonalimb.co.uk