Significant concern over heart disease and the potential for stroke were reported during last year’s Ireland’s Healthy Towns initiative, which offers free health checks and seeks to promote better living in communities.
Tullamore in Co Offaly has been selected as this year’s Healthy Town, succeeding Navan in Co Meath, where more than four out of 10 people who underwent health checks by nurses working with the Irish Heart charity were referred on to doctors for further heart examination.
*Overall, 1,115 people have been assessed by Irish Heart nurses in Kilkenny, Wicklow, Portlaoise, Athlone and Navan over the last five years as part of the initiative, which is sponsored by pharmaceutical company Pfizer Ireland.
Health awareness programme
This year, the Tullamore Healthy Town initiative features an online health awareness programme before a series of events takes place in the town in September and October.
These include health checks and information seminars while local clubs, groups and businesses will be assisted in highlighting the health benefits they offer the local community.
The theme of the programme, which seeks to encourage people to make simple changes to benefit their health, is “My Mind, My Body and My Heart”.
Co Offaly comedian and broadcaster Neil Delamere will serve as Tullamore’s Healthy Town ambassador.
Delamere said the people of Tullamore and Offaly should “make the most of the wealth of clubs, groups, facilities and resources that are at their fingertips in their home town to help boost their health and wellbeing”.
Paul Reid, managing director of Pfizer Ireland, said 80 per cent of people in Tullamore who were surveyed said they exercised regularly and that he hoped to see this figure grow further during the Healthy Town initiative.
People in Tullamore, and elsewhere, can keep up to date on the initiative at Facebook.com/HealthyTownIreland.
*Edited at 9.09am on June 10th, 2017
