Health centre celebrates 2 year anniversary with health kick for local community

Company news

Aug 04, 2011

St Luke's is celebrating its second birthday with a health kick for local residents

As part of the campaign, the centre has joined forces with St Luke’s Healthy Living Centre Community Interest Company (CIC) and Temple Sutton Children’s Centre to launch a healthy walks programme designed to encourage the local community to find out how they can help keep fit and why regular exercise provides long-term health benefits.

The health walks depart every Friday at 10am from St Luke’s Health Centre and Temple Sutton Children’s Centre and last for forty-five minutes.

Practice Manager, Jenny Martine, says: “Regardless of your age and health issues, it’s important to stay active, whether that’s through a sport or just some type of gentle exercise every day. The health walks show how exercise can be accessible to everyone.”

Gareth Gault, director of St Luke’s Healthy Living CIC, added: “We run some health and wellbeing projects and work closely with St Luke’s Health Centre and Temple Sutton Children’s Centre. This partnership is unique, innovative and most importantly, helps to improve the quality of life for local people.”

Barbara Wathen, manager of Temple Sutton Children’s Centre, said: "We are looking forward to being part of this joint health initiative. Linking with our community partners we to welcome as many people as possible, both young and old, to join us on our walks. It's a great way to get active and meet new people, enjoying a chat on the way."

To support the healthy lifestyles campaign, St Luke’s Health Centre has also linked up with a local café to help create a healthier version of its ever popular homemade soup.

The centre teamed up with Café 709 to create a healthy vegetable-based soup as the latest figures reveal that Britain is the fattest country in Europe, with one in ten residents now obese*.

Jenny Martine explained: “In light of the latest obesity stats, we want to remind local people that a healthy lifestyle and balanced diet is fundamental to our wellbeing.

Emma Deakin, owner of Café 709, added: “By revamping the traditional homemade soup by using fresh, seasonal ingredients, we wanted to show that healthy food can also be tasty and that lower calorie, lower fat options like this can help you to maintain a healthy weight.”

St Luke’s Health Centre, operated by Care UK on behalf of NHS South East Essex, provides both a walk-in service and GP practice. It is open 12 hours a day from 8am to 8pm every day (including all bank holidays). For more information, call 01702 611505 or visit www.stlukeshealthcentre.co.uk. To book a place on the healthy walks program, call Gareth Gault on 07527806520 or email st.lukeshlc@hotmail.co.uk.

* Source: Diabetes UK: January 2011