12/04/16
Blackburn Community Group are to Help Hearts in the North West
A Blackburn based community group is to begin an innovative project to help hearts thanks to a Healthy Heart grant awarded by national charity, Heart Research UK.
Access Ability CIC provides support to deaf and disabled people, as well as their families and community members. The community group has been awarded nearly £8,500 to fund a nine-month project, ‘Access Heart Ability’, which aims to improve long term heart health.
The project will target those who are deaf, disabled or experience mental health problems by providing a positive environment of guidance and support and helping individuals to engage within all aspects of the community – helping them to take steps to a healthier heart.
Figures show that in East Lancashire, 40% of early deaths are from preventable conditions. The project will tackle this by covering some of the top public health issues such as smoking, obesity, alcohol misuse and mental health.
Unemployment and social isolation issues within people suffering from long-term health conditions will also be addressed.
Up to 80 people are expected to be involved in the programme, which will offer participants both practical and educational sessions. They will cover topics like healthy eating on a budget, physical activity, blood pressure, cholesterol, stress, smoking and alcohol misuse.
Zoe Woodworth, Health and Wellbeing Specialist at Access Ability CIC, said: “We’re delighted to be given the opportunity to run this new, innovative project that will have a positive effect on the lives of so many people in the local community, connected them with like-minding people. As an organisation, we aim to bring people together through building a positive environment and support system for those who need our help.”
The success of the programme will be measured through personal health guides, behavioral change documents and diaries to monitor food, exercise, and alcohol intake.
Access Ability CIC hopes that individuals who adopt a healthier lifestyle as a result of the project, will then provide peer support to others, including family members, colleagues and friends. This will help to promote the healthy heart message to a larger audience across a number of communities in the North West.
Heart Research UK National Director, Barbara Harpham, said: “One of the aims of our Healthy Heart Grants scheme is to help people of all abilities to improve their heart health, and the Access Ability CIC project is aiming to achieve that. It’s important for people with long-term health conditions to understand all about healthy lifestyles to help them live happier, healthier and longer lives.”
For further information please contact Lucy Alexander on 0113 297 6205
You can also follow Heart Research UK on its website – www.heartresearch.org.uk or on Twitter: @heartresearchuk or become a fan of our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Heart-Research-UK
