Hayley Brooks, Sevenoaks District Council's co-ordinator for Health and Sustainability, is planning to make Edenbridge a healthier place to live next year with a range of new projects, as well as her existing initiatives, run in partnership with local health professionals and community groups.
The Healthy Living Clinic is an outreach clinic held by health visitors and district nurses every Wednesday in The Bridges Centre, Edenbridge High Street from 10.30am to 11.30am. Edenbridge residents of any age can go along to the free clinic without an appointment to receive general health checks including cholesterol and blood pressure checks, dietary and weight management advice.
Drop in sexual health clinics for young people are held at two locations and are available to young people aged between 16 and 25. They are held at the Edenbridge Hospital every Monday between 6pm and 8pm and at the Edenbridge Centre every Tuesday from 6pm to 8pm. These outreach clinics offer free confidential sexual health advice, screening and counselling by health professionals from Edenbridge Hospital.
A healthy living course for young parents is also being planned for September and will run from 17 January 2005 for 20 weeks and aims to offer practical help to improve the lifestyles of family members. The weekly sessions will last for two hours and will generally be held on Thursdays, at various locations. Any young mums and dads between 16 and 25 are welcome to come along to any session which is of interest to them. The sessions will give practical help and advice on exercise, fitness, healthy eating, cookery and relaxation. A crèche facility is also provided.
From 2 March 2005, a healthy living programme will be available for older people. This is a six week programme that is designed for over 65s who may be feeling isolated due to mobility problems. The sessions will be held every Wednesday from 11.30am to 12.30pm at the Edenbridge Centre. They will offer advice and practical demonstrations from guest speakers on topics which will help them to improve their lifestyles at home. It will also offer a chance to socialise and meet new people in a similar position. Transport will be provided to and from the weekly sessions.
The 'Shape up' programme is held by dieticians and takes place every Thursday at Edenbridge Leisure Centre from 10am to 11am. The group sessions are specially designed to make everyone feel comfortable by offering practical help to manage their weight and diet more effectively. Members are referred by local dieticians and receive advice on weight management, nutrition and healthy recipes.
To run in partnership with this programme, The Edenbridge Health Visiting Team and Sencio Community Leisure are beginning two new initiatives in the new year at Edenbridge Leisure Centre. The first is new exercise classes designed for people who currently take little or no exercise and the second is a 'GP Exercise on Prescription' programme. This programme will enable local GPs to refer patients to the Leisure Centre for a 12 week personal fitness programme by qualified fitness instructors. The instructors will assess each person so they can develop an individual fitness programme to suit their needs.
The free 'Stepping into Health' Walk also takes place for all residents every Wednesday. The walkers meet outside Edenbridge Leisure Centre at 9.15am. The walk is led by health visitors and takes approximately 45 minutes. All ages and abilities are welcome to attend and everyone is encouraged to walk at their own pace. The walk ends at The Bridges Centre with refreshments.
Cllr Felicity Broomby, Sevenoaks District Council's Cabinet Member with responsibility for health issues, says: "These joint initiatives which Hayley is helping to facilitate are very encouraging. Leading a healthy lifestyle is very important and we want to help and encourage residents of Edenbridge to exercise regularly and eat well not just for themselves but to pass the information on to future generations. It is through the many new initiatives being set up in the town that we are hoping to reach people who want to make a lifestyle change but are unsure how to start."
Angela Painter, Locality Manager at South West Kent Primary Care Trust, adds: "There were lots of issues and ideas raised by people from Edenbridge during the PCT's Health Needs Assessment. I am delighted to see that so many of these are now being put into action through so many real and meaningful activities. By working together with a whole range of partner agencies we hope to be able to make a difference to people's lives by tackling health issues before they become a problem."
For more information on any of these projects, call Hayley Brooks on 01732 227272 or e-mail hayley.brooks@sevenoaks.gov.uk
