A Derry man who helps people recovering from addiction and substance misuse transform their physical and mental health through exercise has been nominated for a top award.
ARC Fitness founder and registered mental health nurse Gary Rutherford has been shortlisted as a finalist for the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) ‘Nurse of the Year’ Award 2022.
Gary has spoken of the "privilege" in being nominated for the award. The ‘Nurse of the Year’ Awards aim to recognise and reward excellence within the nursing profession in Northern Ireland and highlight the contribution nurses make to the health and wellbeing of others.
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The Derry born ARC Fitness founder is now set to attend the final awards dinner where the overall winner will be announced on Thursday, June 16.
Gary reached the finalist stage of the awards after successfully attending a judging day at the Royal College of Nursing where he was required to give a 10-minute presentation to the judging panel followed by an interview segment.
Speaking on his nomination, Gary said: "I can’t tell you what this nomination alone means to me, never mind the prospect of potentially winning the ‘Nurse of the Year’ award.
"My desire to help others and have a positive impact on their wellbeing has always been a major driving factor into not only my chosen degree choice and career path but also what led me to launch ARC Fitness.
"I want to see people succeed, even when the odds are stacked against them and at ARC we seek to help people do just that.
"We look to give individuals who are recovering from addiction and substance misuse the opportunity to focus on improving their mental and physical wellbeing through physical activity, professional support, and re-connection with community.
"In the short few years that ARC Fitness has been in operation we’ve watched it transform from a social media page that offered advice into a fully functioning support service with a headquarters based on the Bay Road in Derry.
"I want to say a massive thank you to the RCN for selecting me as a finalist. It truly is the greatest honour and I feel privileged to even have made it to this point."
Now in its 26th year, the RCN ‘Nurse of the Year’ Awards also contain numerous other categories including Rising Star, Nurse Rising Star, Nurse Leader of the Year, Team of the Year and more.
More information on ARC Fitness can be found here.
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