Your Leisure offers free blood pressure tests for Know Your Numbers! week

Free checks are being offered

Your Leisure is urging residents in Thanet and Deal to get their blood pressure checked for free as part of Know Your Numbers! Week – the UK’s biggest free blood pressure testing event held at ‘pressure stations’ around the country from September 10-16.

Health practitioners will be hosting the pressure stations at Hartsdown, Ramsgate and Tides Leisure Centres. They will provide information and advice on simple steps to keep blood pressure under control and will measure your blood pressure accurately.

This comes as charity, Blood Pressure UK cautions that ignoring health warnings, particularly about poor diet and excess salt intake, is leading more young people to develop hypertension (also known as high blood pressure) – putting them at risk of having an early stroke, especially when they don’t know their blood pressure numbers.

With unhealthy lifestyles and poor diet contributing to more people in their 30s, 40s and 50s being diagnosed with hypertension, around 1 in 3 people in the UK are now living with high blood pressure (the single biggest cause of death) – with 6.5 million people still remaining undiagnosed.

Key risk factors for developing high blood pressure are eating too much salt, not enough fruit and vegetables, being overweight and not enough exercise.

Robby Clifford, exercise referrals practitioner at Your Leisure, said: “Blood pressure is one of the most preventable and treatable conditions but remains one of the leading causes of death. As an individual having your blood pressure checked is the most important step that you can take to reduce your risk of stroke, heart attack or heart failure. Make sure you visit your local leisure centre during Know Your Numbers! Week and get your blood pressure checked.”

 Hemini Bharadia, Know Your Numbers! Week campaign manager, added: “High blood pressure does not discriminate on age or gender – people are dying unnecessarily because they fail to take such simple steps to reduce their blood pressure. Know Your Numbers! Week is the perfect opportunity to have your blood pressure taken for free and put you in control of your health.”

Your Leisure is offering free blood pressure checks at:

Hartsdown Leisure Centre (Margate)

Monday, September 10 – 1:30pm to 4:30pm

Tuesday, September 11 – 1pm to 5pm

Wednesday, September 12 – 1pm to 5pm

Thursday, September 13 – 1pm to 5pm

Friday, September 14- 1:30pm – 3:30pm

Ramsgate Leisure Centre

Tuesday, September 11 – 11:30am to 4:30pm

Wednesday, September 12 – noon to 5pm

Thursday, September 13 – 8am to 1pm

Tides Leisure Centre (Deal)

Wednesday, September 12 – 9:30am to 2:30pm

Friday, September 14 – 1pm to 9:30pm

For further information on Blood Pressure UK and Know Your Numbers! Week, go to: www.bloodpressureuk.org/microsites/kyn/Home/AboutKYN 

To find your nearest check visit http://www.bloodpressureuk.org/microsites/kyn/Home/Freebpchecks/Findfreecheck