Stars and singers to help celebrate Rotherham ‘lifeline’

Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust is marking the international day, on Wednesday with an event at BreathingSpace — the trust’s hub for patients with respiratory conditions.

Millers legends Ronnie Moore and John Breckin will officially open the refurbished gym, the club’s community team will be hosting a stall, and the Millers have donated a signed shirt to be raffled before the event, with proceeds going towards artwork in the gym.

There will be taster sessions for pulmonary rehabilitation and tai chi, educational talks on lung health, and a performance by the trust’s BreathingSpace choir at the facility on Badsley Moor Lane.

Several community groups will also attend, including Baywater Oxygen Services, Breathe Easy, Functional Fitness, Get Healthy Rotherham, and Yoga Sanctuary.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the name given to a group of lung diseases including bronchitis and emphysema which make it difficult for people to empty air out of their lungs because the airways have been narrowed.

Rotherham, because of its industrial past, smoking prevalence and social deprivation, has a higher burden of respiratory disease — 2.9 per cent of Rotherham’s population (or 7,938 people) are diagnosed with COPD, one per cent higher than the national average in England.

BreathingSpace service user Geoffrey Davis (77) described the hub as “brilliant — a lifeline in fact”, adding: “You can communicate everything with them. If I’ve got a problem, I tell them and we work it out.””

The event will take place between 10.30am and 2pm.