M Whitfield Ltd gets on board with Know your Numbers! Week
M Whitfield Ltd will be asking local residents 'Are you gambling with your health?' when it provides free blood pressure checks during Know your Numbers! Week (13-19 September).
7 M Whitfield Ltd pharmacies are taking part in the nation's biggest blood pressure testing event organised by UK charity the Blood Pressure Association.
Research from the Blood Pressure Association has revealed almost three quarters of adults do not know their blood pressure numbers. This ignorance means they are taking an unnecessary gamble with their health, as uncontrolled high blood pressure causes stroke and heart attack.
One in three UK adults has high blood pressure. It's a symptomless condition – a 'silent killer' – so the only way to find out if you have high blood pressure is have regular blood pressure checks. However, once detected, it can be successfully managed.
M Whitfield Ltd pharmacies are among around 1,400 official 'Pressure Stations' being held in pharmacies, supermarkets, shopping centres, workplaces, and a wide range of community venues across the UK, all of which are offering free blood pressure checks during the charity's event.
Stuart Bowman, Superintendent Pharmacist at M Whitfield Ltd, said: "Know your Numbers! Week is an excellent opportunity for local people to discover if they are at risk from a condition that too many people are unaware they have."
Mike Rich, Executive Director of UK charity the Blood Pressure Association, said: "We're delighted that M Whitfield Ltd is taking free blood pressure testing to the UK public as part of this year's Know your Numbers! Week.
"We're asking people across the nation 'Are you gambling with your health?' because three quarters of UK adults are completely unaware of their blood pressure numbers. We want everyone to lower their odds of stroke and heart attack by having a free blood pressure check during the week."
To find out more about the campaign, visit the Know your Numbers! website at www.bpassoc.org.uk/kyn or call 020 8772 4994. The BPA has a range of resources available to health professionals year round to help with blood pressure detection and management.
Notes to Editors:
- For more information on Know your Numbers! Week or on high blood pressure, contact Anna Cureton in the Blood Pressure Association’s Press Office on 020 8772 4993/4984 or email acureton@sgul.ac.uk
- For further information on M Whitfield Ltd, to arrange for your reporter to have their blood pressure checked, or for a photo or interview with M Whitfield Ltd, please contact Stuart Bowman, Superintendent Pharmacist, M Whitfield Ltd, St Aidan’s Terrace, Trimdon Station, Co. Durham, TS29 6BT, tel 01429 881 200, email stuart.bowman@mwhitfieldltd.co.uk
- The Blood Pressure Association is the UK’s leading blood pressure charity working to lower the nation’s blood pressure. The charity provides information and support for people with high blood pressure and raises awareness to prevent the condition.
For more information visit the charity’s main website at www.bpassoc.org.uk or call head office on 020 8772 4994. - M Whitfield Ltd is a family run Retail Pharmacy group which was founded in 1935, and has branches in Hartlepool, Blackhall, Horden, Wheatley Hill, Thornley, Coxhoe and Gilesgate (Durham City).