Ian Cunliffe

To encourage staff to lead fitter, healthier lifestyles, Ian (Consultant Ophthalmologist) approached the RFL for their support and ran an introductory session of touch rugby, which 200 staff attended, leading to a full tournament and finals event. This grew in following years. Staff saw improvements in fitness, health and wellbeing, and in the relations they had built with other staff members from different departments and hierarchies. He had the vision to develop a national programme. With the DOH he helped develop and supported the 2012 NHS Challenge and is an ambassador for this. He leads the National Touch Rugby programme (which has seen 84 NHS Organisations contacted by the programme, 35 currently playing and over 600 staff having played) and spends much of his own free time championing the programme both within our organisation, regionally and nationally. His next aim is to run the national NHS touch tournament in 2012.