29 August 2008

Bingo players in South Shields will be given the chance to take a look at numbers of a different kind when free blood pressure checks, organised by South Tyneside Healthy Communities Collaborative, are held at Majestic Bingo on Tuesday 9 September.

They will be given the chance to know their blood pressure numbers as part of the nation’s biggest blood pressure testing event, Know your Numbers! Week 2008, run by UK charity the Blood Pressure Association.

The venue will be among 3,000 official ‘Pressure Stations’ offering free blood pressure checks across the UK during the week-long campaign from 8-14 September.

South Tyneside health trainer service will be on hand at the bingo hall in Denmark Centre, Fowler Street, South Shields from 11am-3pm to give people a free blood pressure check and information from the Blood Pressure Association, explaining what the numbers mean and giving tips on how to lower blood pressure.

The Healthy Communities Collaborative has also arranged free blood pressure checks out to the following community venues throughout the Week:

Monday 8 September, Central Library, South Shields, 10am-3pm
Wednesday 10 September, TARA Residents House, Hebburn, 2pm-6pm
Thursday 11 September, Biddick Hall and Whitelea’s Children’s Centre, 2-6pm
Friday 12 September, Bolden Lane Library, 12.30 -1pm and 1.30pm-4pm

Laura Wolfe is a Health Improvement Practitioner at South Tyneside Primary Care Trust, which works with local people and partner organisations to deliver health messages through the Healthy Communities Collaborative. She said: “We are currently raising awareness of cardiovascular disease in South Tyneside communities so it’s great to be able to work in partnership with the Blood Pressure Association and offer free blood pressure checks to people in this area. We want people in South Tyneside to understand how important it is to know their blood pressure numbers and reduce the risk of developing stroke and heart disease.”

Mike Rich, Executive Director of the Blood Pressure Association, said: “We are delighted South Tyneside Healthy Communities Collaborative is taking part in Know your Numbers! Week 2008 and it’s great that they are running Pressure Stations in the community to help reach those people who may not have otherwise have regular blood pressure checks.

“To raise awareness during this year’s Know your Numbers! Week 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 we would encourage South Shields residents to take control and reduce their risk of the silent killer by having a free blood pressure check during Know you Numbers! Week. It’s quick, free and painless and could save your life.”

To find out more about the Know your Numbers! 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

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 blood pressure checks at the Majestic Bingo to arrange for your reporter to have their blood pressure checked, or for a photo or interview please contact Kay Jordan, Communications and PR Officer at NHS South of Tyne and Wear on 0191 529 7121, or email kay.jordan@sotw.nhs.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.

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