Celebration of our health

Grace Wareing-Yeulett, four and Chloe Offord, three take part in the activities at the Guild Health Mela

The city’s 12th annual Health Mela goes ahead at Preston Guild Hall this Saturday – and it will be a Mecca for all things to do with keeping happy and healthy from the cradle to the grave.

From 10am until 4pm, there will be a host of stalls offering information, top tips and advice from many different health organisations.

And they can even take a free ‘Health MOT’ with tests for blood pressure, cholesterol levels, blood sugar sight, hearing – everything you need to make sure your body is in tip top condition.

This year, the special guest of honour on the day will be Shami Shakrabarti, director of the famous human rights campaigning organisation, Liberty, who will tour around the event, meeting visitors and exhibitors and talking to the public.

She will also give a speech on the vital subject of Health and Human Rights.

And there is plenty of family fun too, with dance performances, face painting, refreshments, head massage, Reiki, henna tattoos, reflexology and lots more.

The Mela, a Sanskrit word meaning ‘gathering’ or ‘to meet’, will be opened formally by Paul Buckley, director of education and standards at the General Medical Council, the organisation responsible for the professional education of doctors. Health Melas now run throughout the country and the health checks on offer play an important role, not just in checking your health, but in giving trainee doctors and other health professionals vital practical experience of doing such checks out in the community.

The Health Mela is open from 10am to 4pm at  Preston Guild Hall this Saturday. Entry is free and all are welcome.