Healthy Living

Medway’s public health team runs a wide programme of activities and projects to promote healthyliving.                                                                            

MEND 2-4

FREE programme returns to Medway to give families with young children a healthy start in life!

The MEND 2-4 Programme (previously Mini-MEND) is a free course for families with children aged between two and four. It offers a great chance for families to learn about healthy lifestyle choices in a fun and creative way.  The course involves children and parents / carers taking part in 90-minute sessions, once a week for 10 weeks. Places on the MEND 2-4 programme are completely free and places are on a first come, first served basis.

For more information or to register for the programme in Medway call the Supporting Healthy Weight Team on 01634 33 3103 or email mend@medway.gov.uk

MEND 7-13

MEND - Mind, Exercise, Nutrition... Do It! MEND 7-13 is a free 10-week programme for families with children aged seven to 13-years-old whose weight is above the healthy range for their age and height. The fun programme helps children and families manage their weight better and lead healthier lives.

For more information or to register for the programme in Medway call the Supporting Healthy Weight Team on 01634 333741or email: www.mendprogramme.org

MEND Graduates

The MEND Graduate programme is a follow on to the MEND 7-13 healthy lifestyle programme and is used as a motivational tool to help families to sustain their hard work once the programme has finished.

The Graduate programme is full of fun activities including weekly game sessions, allotment sessions, family walks, sport tasters, workshops & a variety holiday activities.

For more information please contact Vicki Morgan on 01634 337214 or email mend@medway.gov.uk

Workplace Health

A lot of people spend up to 60% of their waking hours at work, meaning the workplace is a great location for people to access health initiatives such as physical activity sessions, healthy eating ideas, smoking cessation groups and stress reduction – especially in current times, where obesity levels are at an all time high (almost two thirds of adults are either overweight/obese).

Employers can contribute a lot to the health and well being of their employees, just by doing simple things such as encouraging them to walk or cycle into work, being active during the day and support healthy eating alternatives.

In 2008/2009, nearly 70million working days were lost due to workplace injury and ill health. By encouraging and helping your staff to be more active in and out of the workplace, it will result in a more energetic and motivated workforce. Schemes like this have shown a 27% fall in absenteeism, significantly increased productivity, increased employee retention and improved staff morale.

For more information and to talk about schemes in Medway, please contact Robert Murray on 01634 333890 or 07908 824332, or send an email to robert.murray@medway.gov.uk

Community Food

Medway's Community Food Programme aims to promote and sustain healthier food choices in communities, to increase the opportunities available to enjoy a healthier diet. 

The programme provides healthy eating training, nutrition resources, guidance for existing food related projects and develops new initiatives to increase project available. A current project has included the community allotment in Gillingham, which is open to community partners wishing to promote healthy living.

For more information please contact Claire Burgess, Community Food Project Coordinator on 01634 333 890 or email change4life@medway.gov.uk  

                                                                               

A better Medway is a year long campaign to help us all make small significant changes to lead healthier and longer lives.  Brought to you by NHS Medway and Medway Council, A Better Medway is for everyone living and working in Medway.

For more information please go to www.abettermedway.co.uk