8 September 2008

Eastenders actress Angela Wynter at a mobile Pressure Station offering free checks outside City Hall, London

The prestigious location of City Hall is among 3,000 Pressure Station locations nationwide which will offer free blood pressure checks as part of the nation's biggest blood pressure testing event Know your Numbers! Week 2008.

A screening van, donated and staffed by Vitality healthcare, located at Potter's Fields next to the headquarters of the Greater London Authority will be offering free blood pressure checks from 10am-8pm as part of the award-winning event run by UK charity the Blood Pressure Association.

Celebrities including actress Prunella Scales, presenter Michael Aspel and Eastenders stars Rudolph Walker and Angela Wynter (who play Patrick and Yolande) are lending their support to this year's campaign to encourage all adults to know their blood pressure numbers and take steps to reduce their risk of stroke and heart attack.

16 million adults in the UK have high blood pressure - that's one in three - but more than five million of them are unaware of it because the condition has no obvious symptoms. Uncontrolled high blood pressure causes strokes, heart attack and heart failure, and can also lead to kidney disease and dementia. However, once detected, the condition can be successfully treated.

Data from last year's Know your Numbers! Week revealed that 33 per cent of people tested in London had ‘high' blood pressure readings.

People with high blood pressure, diagnosed with readings consistently at or above 140/90 mmHg, are three times more likely to develop heart disease and stroke than people with a healthy blood pressure, and twice as likely to die from these conditions.

Mike Rich, Executive Director of UK charity the Blood Pressure Association, said: “We are delighted that thanks to the support of Vitality healthcare and Potters Fields Park Management Trust we can offer free blood pressure checks at such a great London landmark.

“To raise awareness during this year's campaign we are asking ‘Are you at risk from the ticking time bomb?' That's because uncontrolled high blood pressure is like a hidden time bomb which can cause stroke, heart attack and heart failure.

“So hope lots of people come along to our Pressure Station next to City Hall to take control and reduce their risk of the silent killer by having a free blood pressure check during Know your Numbers! Week 2008. It's quick, free and painless and could save your life.”

To find out where you can have your nearest free blood pressure check during Know your Numbers! Week 2008, visit the Know your Numbers! website at www.bpassoc.org.uk/kyn or call 020 8772 4994. If you have a question about high blood pressure and would like to speak to someone over the phone, call the Blood Pressure Association's Information Line on 0845 241 0989 (11am-3pm, Mon-Fri).

Ends

• Photos of celebrity supporters and people having blood pressure checks can be provided, along with details of the latest research on high blood pressure and feature ideas. Please contact the Blood Pressure Association's Press Office on 020 8772 4993/4984, or email mgederon@sgul.ac.uk .

[1] The Blood Pressure Association's Know your Numbers!® Week is the nation's biggest blood pressure testing event. 253,000 people had free blood pressure checks during KYN Week 2007, which took place from 10-16 September 2007. The BPA's research is based on a sample of 24,702 blood pressure readings recorded during KYN Week 2007.

Notes to Editors

The Blood Pressure Association is the UK's leading blood pressure charity working to lower the nation's blood pressure. The charity provides information and support for people with high blood pressure and raises awareness to prevent the condition. The BPA recently won the healthcare category of The Charity Awards 2008 for its work on the Know your Numbers! campaign. For more information visit the charity's main website at www.bpassoc.org.uk , call head office on 020 8772 4994 or contact our information line on 0845 241 0989.
Vitality Healthcare is a comprehensive provider of wellness at work solutions for many types of organisations, covering traditional occupational health, lifestyle screening and assistance programmes. For further information about Vitality Healthcare, please contact Sharon Frost, Marketing Manager on 0800 294 6797.
Potters Fields Park is managed by the Potters Fields Park Management Trust, a not for profit company set up in 2005. Its primary objective is to “occupy, promote manage and maintain as an open space the park and garden known as Potters Fields Park, in the interests of public welfare, including educational benefit for park visitors”.

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