Meet the team captain: Kathryn

I love walking, and when possible, I am outside enjoying the fresh air.

When we noticed the autumn Step Count Challenge through our workplace, it seemed like the ideal opportunity to get my colleagues involved too. So, this is when my team got together and our team name evolved…the Outpatient Sunshine Angels!

My team mates are Leanne, Natalie, Wendy, Julie, and myself – the team captain. We all work within the Outpatient Department in Ayr Hospital. We were all really delighted to take part in the autumn Step Count Challenge, and now our adventures begin again with the spring Step Count Challenge 2023.

As a rule for these challenges, I will always encourage my team mates to do as much as they can, but not to overdo it and cause injury or harm. We are aware that this is a competition, however, I will encourage, support, and drive my team mates to do the very best they can. Winning is not the main aim, it’s the taking part in the challenge that’s important to us all.

Every weekday morning at work, I meet up with members from the team and we go for a walk around the woodlands prior to starting our shifts. Then at lunchtime we also all get together and go for another little stroll, and we are always looking out for the deer that have been seen within the long grass area. We also spot many species of birds, rabbits, squirrels, and any other forms of wildlife that are out there. I have inspired my colleagues to become avid wildlife seekers, which I think is quite funny. At the weekends we all do our own walks with our family members, and pets too.

We will all push ourselves to our limits, enjoy the fresh air, and the beautiful views that we don’t really get a proper chance to see due to our busy lifestyles. My team have bonded very well from the last challenge, and this has continued even after it stopped, with us continuing walking every day, outside when possible, and indoor walks around the hospital when the weather was bad. It became a standing joke with people as they used to laugh at us every time they saw us passing different departments, saying “Here they come again, the walkers!”

So, for this eight week challenge, I will continue to encourage, support and care for my team members. Ensuring that they always take care of themselves, enjoy the experience, and most importantly that we live, love, and have many laughs throughout our challenge.