The National Forum for Health and Wellbeing (NFHW) is collaborating with the Catterick Nepalese Community Project in organising a special Health Mela at the Colburn Village Hall, (Colburn Lane, Catterick Garrison, DL9 4LZ) on Saturday, June 18th 2022.
The event is designed specifically for members of the Nepalese community associated with the Infantry Training Centre of the Gurkha Brigade stationed at Catterick Camp. This caters for around four hundred recruits each year.
Doors will open at 10.00 am. followed by the inaugural ceremony – lighting the Diya Lamp to symbolise goodness, purity, knowledge and wisdom, presentation of the ceremonial scarf, the Khada and welcome speeches from Chief Guests:
Cllr Lorraine Hodgson, Chair – Richmond District Council
Cllr Dr Jagannath Sharma, Mayor – Colburn Town Council
Professor Satyan Rajbhandari – Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and NFHW Trustee
The Mela is planned to be a vibrant social occasion providing important signposts to healthy living alongside entertainment including Nepalese dance. Together with the opportunity for community interaction, visitors will find stalls from a wide range of health-related organisations with experts on hand offering information and friendly advice.
Central to the day’s programme is the opportunity to take a comprehensive Health MOT including checks on cholesterol and blood sugar, backed up by confidential counselling. This is provided by a team representing NFHW, including Professor Satyan Rajbhandari, Dr. Martin Myers MBE and their volunteers, all from Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Young volunteers will help with translation and chaperoning.
Prof. Satyan Rajbhandari
Speaking of the Mela, Professor Rajbhandari explained, “The Gurkha community in Catterick has poor diabetes control due to cultural belief and poor understanding of the workings of the NHS. To address that we are working with the local NHS and Health Exchange Nepal (UK) to conduct a Health Mela focused on Diabetes in the Nepali language. It is open to everyone from that area.”
Professor Romesh Gupta OBE, NFHW Chair, added, “I am truly grateful that we have had the opportunity to support everyone in Catterick who has been involved in this important venture. To work alongside and support like-minded gr
oups in events such as this, gives us the opportunity to spread our good news about healthy lifestyles ever more widely. That’s a win-win situation for us all!”
For further details please contact: derek.ormerod@nfhw.org.uk
