Free health festival returns for fifth year

Final preparations are underway for the free fun-filled festival of health, with a range of activities on offer, including a a comprehensive ‘health MOT’

The Health Mela, named after the community based fairs held in South East Asia, offers visitors of all ages fun and entertainment together with all the latest information on local health related issues.

The day’s proceedings will be opened to the public at 11am by Chief Guest, Stuart Heys, Chair of Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Professor Romesh Gupta, OBE, Chair of the National Forum for health and Wellbeing said: “This year’s Leyland Health Mela will be bigger and better than ever and we are delighted that so many of our young people are involved in this event.

“The Mela offers them an ideal opportunity to develop an understanding of the essential relationship between health, wellbeing and education.

“This understanding is essential if, as a community, we are to make the most effective use of scarce NHS resources in the future.”

Health checks will be open to visitors and will include height, weight, BMI, cholesterol and blood sugar.

There will be a packed programme - other activities on the day include dance displays, Henna painting, advice about services for older people, hearing, eyesight and oral health and children’s mental health, complementary medicine taster sessions, fun games and competitions for children including a smoothie bike and a Teddy Bears’ clinic and drug and alcohol awareness

This year’s Mela seeks to build on the all-important links between community health, wellbeing and education with important contributions made to the day’s activities by young people of all ages from local primary schools, Runshaw College and the Universities of Manchester and Central Lancashire