Commonwealth Games: Garstang couple treated athletes at Birmingham 2022

Owners of Garstang Physiotherapy Clinic Lynley, 42, and 44-year-old Simon Eason have been busy healingg anything from sprained ankles, to muscle tears and torn ligaments.

Home to more than 5,000 athletes from 72 nations, the Commonwealth Games were held in Birmingham from Thursday, July 28 - Monday, August 8.

Simon and Lynley were based at the National Exhibition Centre Athletes Village and treated athletes across a variety of sports, but mainly netball, powerlifting, badminton, table tennis and boxing, which are being held at the National Exhibition Centre.

A veteran of several previous games including the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014, Simon explained how exciting it was to return to the major sporting event for the first time after the pandemic.

He said: “It’s always a great place to work; the athletes are very dedicated and enthusiastic young people and the medical staff are all great people to learn from.

"It’s a great privilege to be able to be in an athletes’ village at an event like this and to spend time with the stars of the show.”

However, this was Lynley’s first trip to a major sports event as a physiotherapist.

She said: "I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it and felt able to contribute to the athletes. I’ve learned a lot from them and from the other physios and doctors that I can bring back to Garstang and use in my normal practice.”

Explaining how they got to attend the event, Lynley added: "We saw an advertisement for volunteers last year and filled in a form asking for special skills. We put down physio.

"Then last October we had an interview in Birmingham where thousands of volunteers attended and we were then offered a place in February."

The duo then started travelling down in preparation for the real thing with a mixture of shifts from 7am to 3pm and 3pm until 11pm.

Lynley added: "Our training was with all the medical volunteers from all over.

"It was amazing as you never know how long it will be before the Commonwealth events come back here.

"It was a very different environment to working in a small clinic.

"I done eight shifts over the two-week period and Simon did nine and when he wasn't working he went home and looked after the practice.

"A lot of the English team had their own doctors and physios with them."

Simon added: "We work with the walking wounded rather than the properly wounded.

"It was a really positive environment with people who are really committed athletes who are brilliant to work with and that really listened to you.

"It was a real privilege to go and work in an athletes village.

"It was a massive learning opportunity with the things we saw and can bring back home."

Established in 2011, Garstang Physiotherapy Clinic currently has six physiotherapists offering daytime and evening appointments for musculoskeletal issues/sports injuries as well as home visits and appointments for women’s health and neurological conditions.

The clinic is also in the running for a business award from the Lancashire’s Be Inspired Business Awards (BIBAs).