16 September 2011

Families in Tower Hamlets are being offered free healthy lifestyle programmes to help them get fit and healthy while having fun.

The lucky families who attend the fun course will also get to meet Olympian and Commonwealth gold medallist swimmer Adam Whitehead who will mentor them during the 10-week programme.

Adam Whitehead launched the new healthy lifestyle programmes for 2-11 year olds at a special event at Mile End Leisure centre today.

MEND’s fun, free programmes are available to children aged 5-11 who are above a healthy weight and their parents. Programmes are also available for families with children aged 2-4 years.

On the MEND programme, families learn about nutrition and how to maintain a balanced diet. This is followed by fun games and activities to get the children moving while their parents talk about health in a supportive environment.

The Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust has provided Adam as an athlete mentor. He will mentor over 20 children on the MEND programme, helping them to make gradual changes to the food they eat and to their levels of exercise. He will also share his experience with the families and talk about his professional life of training, overcoming obstacles and trying to stay motivated.

Over a quarter of 10-11 year olds living in Tower Hamlets are overweight or obese - this is the third highest in the country. Thirteen per cent of children starting school in Tower Hamlets are obese.

The launch of the free healthy lifestyle programmes in Tower Hamlets is part of the Building Powerful Communities partnership between Public Health Tower Hamlets, Barts and the London NHS Trust, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Bupa and MEND, that aims to empower children and adults living in the borough to lead healthier lifestyles and become more active.

Run by Barts and the London’s Weight Management Service for Children and supported by Bupa volunteers, the MEND programmes aim to help about 900 children and their families in Tower Hamlets by March 2013.

Families can sign up to one of the following MEND programmes today by calling Arlene Van Tonder, MEND programme manager on 020 8223 8485:

MEND 2-4

Where: Overland Children Centre, 60 Parnell Road, Bow, London, E3 2RU

When: 10:00- 11:30, every Tuesday for 10 weeks, starting 27^th Sept 2011.

 

Where: Meath Gardens Children Centre, 1 Smart street, London, E2 0SN

When: 13:00- 14:30, every Thursday for 10 weeks, starting 29^th Sept 2011.

 

MEND 5-7

Where: William Davis Primary School, Wood Close, London, E2 6ET

When: 15:30- 17:00, every Tuesday for 10 weeks, starting 27^th Sept 2011.

 

Where: Stebon Primary School, Burdett Estate, Wallwood Street, Poplar, London, E14 7AD

When: 15:30-17:00-every Wednesday for 10 weeks, starting 28^th September 2011

 

MEND 7-11

Mile End Park Leisure Centre, 190 Burdett Road, London, E3 4HL, starting 27^th September.

When: 17:00-19:00pm, every Tuesday and Friday

 

Globe Primary school, Gawber Street, London, E2 0JH starting 27^th September.

When: 15:45-17:45pm, every Tuesday and Wednesday

 

Manorfield Primary School, Wyvis Street, London, E14 6QD, starting 4^th October.

When: 16:30-18:30pm, every Tuesday and Thursday

 

Notes to editor

 

About Building Powerful Communities

• Building Powerful Communities is a partnership between Public Health Tower Hamlets, Barts and the London NHS Trust, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Bupa and MEND to empower children and adults in Tower Hamlets to eat more healthily and be more active.

About Barts and The London NHS Trust

• Barts and The London Children’s Hospital has 130 beds for children – including premature baby cots – and London’s biggest paediatric Accident & Emergency department.
• The hospital is one of the leading children’s hospitals in the UK and treats 40,000 children and young people each year from London, Essex and across the UK and Europe.
• Tower Hamlets Weight Management Service – Children and Maternity is part of the Trust and based at Mile End Hospital. It also provides services from Mile End Leisure Centre, schools and other locations.
• The Weight Management service provides healthy lifestyle programmes for children aged up to 18 years and their families. The service is funded by Public Health in Tower Hamlets as part of its local Healthy Borough Programme which is leading the fight to tackle obesity in Tower Hamlets.
• The Trust’s full portfolio of specialist centres includes the country’s biggest heart attack centre, leading edge cancer specialties and a highly successful fertility centre.

About MEND

• MEND (Mind, Exercise, Nutrition...Do it!) is the leading provider of free healthy lifestyle programmes for families in local communities.
• MEND works with public, private and third sector partners to provide a range of healthy lifestyle programmes for families with children aged between two and 13 years (MEND 2-4, MEND 5-7 and MEND 7-13).
• Since it was founded in 2004, MEND has helped over 25,000 families across the UK to become fitter, healthier and happier by providing information about healthy eating and how to keep active.
• Developed in partnership with child health experts at Great Ormond Street Hospital and the University College London’s Institute of Child Health, independent research shows that the MEND 7-13 programme helps children lose weight and improve their fitness and self-esteem.
• www.mendcentral.org

 About Bupa

• Bupa’s purpose is to help people lead longer, healthier, happier lives. 
• A leading international healthcare group, we offer personal and company health insurance, run care homes for older people and hospitals, and provide workplace health services, health assessments and chronic disease management services, including health coaching, and home healthcare. 
• With no shareholders, we invest our profits to provide more and better healthcare.  We are committed to making quality, patient-centred, affordable healthcare more accessible in the areas of wellness, chronic disease management and ageing.
• Employing nearly 52,000 people, Bupa has operations around the world, principally in the UK, Australia, Spain, New Zealand and the USA, as well as Hong Kong, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, India, China and across Latin America. 
• For more information, visit www.bupa.com.