3 September 2008

Manor Pharmacy, High Street, Ruddington will be running a ‘Pressure Station’ for the Blood Pressure Association as part of Know your Numbers! Week and Mayor of Rushcliffe, Councillor Barrie Cooper, will be visiting the ‘Pressure Station’ on Wednesday 10 September during the nation’s biggest blood pressure testing event.

Manor Pharmacy in Ruddington is among 3,000 official ‘Pressure Stations’ being held in pharmacies, supermarkets, shopping centres, workplaces and a wide range of community venues offering free blood pressure checks across the UK during 8-14 September for the Blood Pressure Association.

16 million adults in the UK have high blood pressure (that’s one in three) but more than five million of them don’t know 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.

Councillor Barrie Cooper said: "I am supporting the Blood Pressure Association’s Know your Numbers! Week because high blood pressure is such an important health issue. Worryingly, it is a condition that many people are unaware of. I hope that Ruddington residents will advantage of a free blood pressure check and reduce their risk of serious illness."

Mike Rich, Executive Director of the Blood Pressure Association, said: "We are delighted that Councillor Barrie Cooper is helping us to raise awareness of this serious health issue.

"During this year’s campaign we are asking ‘Are you at risk from the ticking time bomb?’ Uncontrolled high blood pressure is like a hidden time bomb which can cause stroke, heart attack and heart failure.

"So take control and reduce your risk of the silent killer by having a free blood pressure check during Know your Numbers! Week. It's quick, free and painless and could save your life."

To find out more about the campaign, or for a free blood pressure information pack, 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

Full list of Manor Pharmacy branches that will be offering free blood pressure checks during Know your Numbers! Week.

Notes to Editors:

For more information on Know your Numbers! Week or on high blood pressure, contact the Blood Pressure Association’s Press Office on 020 8772 4993/4984, or email mgederon@sgul.ac.uk.
For further information on Manor Pharmacy, to arrange for your reporter to have their blood pressure checked, or for a photo or interview with a local Manor Pharmacy pharmacist, please contact: Alison Cawdell at Manor Pharmacy, 0115 951 2123, or email alison.cawdell@manorpharmacy.co.uk. www.manorpharmacy.co.uk www.manorpharmacy.co.uk.
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 charity 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.
Manor Pharmacy is the trading name of W R Evans (Chemist) Limited. An independently owned and family run business which has been serving the residents of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and Staffordshire for nearly half a century. From small beginnings in Sheffield, W R Evans (Chemist) Ltd has grown steadily to become the largest "independent" retail pharmacy presence within the East Midlands, with around 50 pharmacies situated in most of the major towns and city suburbs.

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