First Burnley community health mela to take place at UCLan Victoria Mill

Organised by the National Forum for Health and Wellbeing (NFHW), in partnership with the University of Central Lancashire’s School of Medicine and Dentistry, the free event on Saturday will bring together health professionals, community volunteers and UCLan students to offer health checks and advice to visitors.

There will be opportunities to have blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol checks, as well as speaking to health professionals about cancer support, pain management and oral health, to name a few. The Teddy Bear Clinic will be open for children to bring along their soft toys for a health MOT and people can also enjoy reiki and a Bollywood Dance performance.

Burnley MP Antony Higginbotham will officially open the event, which is focused on empowering communities to improve their health and wellbeing.

Romesh Gupta OBE, Chair of the Steering Group of the NFHW and Honorary Professor at UCLan, said: “We’ve been running an annual health mela in Preston for a number of years and are delighted to be able to host another one in Burnley so that the people of East Lancashire can easily access these important services.

“Thanks to the free health checks at the recent Preston Health Mela, 52 people were referred to their doctors for further intervention, many were picked up with raised cardiovascular risks and three were diagnosed as diabetic for the first time, so it really is a service that makes a difference.

“We can’t wait to welcome the local community to this brilliant event. People can access a range of health services for free and enjoy a family day out at the same time.”

The Burnley Health Mela will take place between 11am and 3pm on Saturday, May 11th in Victoria Mill on UCLan’s Burnley Campus, Trafalgar Street, where visitors can access free parking.

UCLan’s Creative Communities Group staff, students, and community members will also be on hand to offer support at the event.

For more information, email [email protected] and follow @NFHW1 and #HealthMela2024 on X.