Preparations are well under way for Leyland’s fifth annual family festival of health and wellbeing.

Leyland Health Mela poster

Head to Academy @ Worden, Westfield Drive, Leyland PR25 1QX on Saturday 17th September from 11 am. Bring all the family and take advantage of the wide range of great things on offer at this exciting event. Admission, parking and health checks are all free.

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.

Come and enjoy the friendly informal atmosphere and maybe check in for a comprehensive ‘Health MOT’ which includes measurement of height, weight, BMI, cholesterol and blood sugar. The MOT is conducted by a team of health professionals who also offer personal lifestyle counselling.

The Mela is organised by the National Forum for Health and Wellbeing in association with partners the Rotary Club of Leyland and Academy @ Worden, strongly supported by a comprehensive range of voluntary health related organisations and NHS Trusts.

The day’s proceedings will be opened to the public at 11.00 am by Chief Guest, Stuart Heys, Chair of Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Alongside the comprehensive range of health checks, visitors to the Mela will find:

  • Dozens of colourful stalls packed with information and advice on healthy living.
  • Entertainment including dance displays
  • Henna painting
  • Advice about services for older people, hearing, eyesight and oral health and children’s mental health
  • The chance to experience complementary medicine e.g. a Reiki taster session
  • Fun games and competitions for children including a smoothie bike and a Teddy Bears’ clinic
  • A novel approach to face painting provided by Worden’s Wound Wizards!
  • Zumba dancing
  • Drug and alcohol awareness
  • Cooking demonstrations
  • and much, much more…

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.

Speaking of the event, Professor Romesh Gupta, OBE, Chair of the National Forum for health and Wellbeing said: “We are delighted that so many of our young people are involved in this year’s Leyland Health Mela. It 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.”

Chris Catherall, Headteacher of Academy@Worden added: “This year’s event, focusing on education and health, will be even bigger and better than previous years. I would like to encourage everyone to come along and make sure they take advantage of everything on offer. It’s going to be fun, informative, educational and a chance to speak to people about a wide range of health and mental wellbeing issues. Visitors can ask questions, find out what is on offer locally and even win one of the many prizes on offer.”

Breakfast Meeting, 10.00 – 11.00 am:

A breakfast meeting for invited guests will be held in the school at 10.00 am, before the Health Mela opens to the public. The topic for discussion is: “Health and Education – the essential foundations of community wellbeing .”

Members of the press are cordially invited to be present at this session.

A full press release can be downloaded here: Leyland-health-mela-2016-press-release.