The first Fylde Coast Health Mela took place on Saturday 5th October and has been hailed as a resounding success. Despite being the first of its kind in the area, it was greeted with great acclaim from health professionals and attracted in excess of a thousand visitors.

Many of these guests took advantage of the free health checks available on the day and the Health Olympics student medical team from Manchester University reported finding 33 cases of high cholesterol, 9 of high blood pressure and a further 11 with both high blood pressure and cholesterol. Where appropriate, individuals were referred to their GPs for further tests and support.

Gary Doherty on the 'make your own smoothie' bike

Gary Doherty on the ‘make your own smoothie’ bike

Gary Doherty, Chief Executive of Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Trust of said: “I think the event was a great success – particularly the winning combination of health information, friendly faces and good fun. Well done to all and I look forward to seeing the event going from strength to strength.”

A similar sentiment was expressed by Roy Fisher, Chairman of Blackpool NHS Clinical Commissioning Group, who said: “This was an incredibly well organised event that combined education with entertainment. The atmosphere was extremely positive with people of all ages keen to undertake health checks and gather as much information as they could. The Health Mela was a first for Blackpool but one I hope to see on the calendar every year from now on.”

A copy of the Fylde Coast Health Mela brochure is now available to be downloaded online. Please use the link below.

Fylde Coast Health Mela brochure (PDF: 537kb)