THE 2017 Wellbeing Winsford Week starts on Monday and is aiming to raise awareness of key health messages in the town.

Building on the success of the inaugural event in 2016, this year’s event, which takes place next week, will focus on three themes; Be Active, Be Aware, Be Inspired.

It is hoped the week will raise awareness of health issues as well as providing an opportunity for Winsford residents to try out new health-boosting activities.

The Wellbeing Winsford Hub which is organising the event is a collaboration between Winsford Town Council, local health professionals including health visitors and GPs, Brio Leisure, Active Cheshire, Winsford Cross Shopping Centre, Motherwell, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, charities and churches as well as Cheshire West and Chester localities, children’s centres and Workzone teams.

Cllr Ailsa Gaskill-Jones, who chairs the hub, said: “We are really excited with the programme we have put together this year and hope people will agree it provides an opportunity for them to think about both their physical and mental health.

“As well as fitness taster sessions we have mindfulness and self-care workshops, holistic therapies and creative classes.

“In light of poor health statistics for Winsford we are also working closely with charities and GP surgeries to provide health advice and checks including a particular focus on lung health, prostate cancer screening and blood pressure monitoring.”

The poor health statistics for the town raise concerns around obesity, with 28 per cent of adults in Winsford being obese and 20 per cent of children at the time of leaving primary school.

They also highlight high cancer rates, with cancer death figures rising by 14 per cent over the past 10 years.

Beverley Price, community cancer project officer for Action on Cancer, said: “We want to tackle the taboo about cancer by encouraging people to talk about it and give them the confidence to make that step and get checked out if they have any health worries and to go for any screening tests.

“People will also have the opportunity to have a healthy lung check and to seek clinical advice if they have any lung concerns.”

The week will launch on Monday, February 20, with an Alice in Wonderland themed Mad Hatters Tea Party hosted by Brightlife at The Dingle Centre to which everyone is welcome.

A programme of activities will be running across the week with Friday and Saturday seeing the Wellbeing Fair returning to Winsford Cross Shopping Centre where more than 30 local health and wellbeing organisations will be in attendance and which will include first aid and fitness demonstrations, pop up Zumba and free reflexology.

The week will culminate on Saturday evening with a fundraising Zumbathon in aid of Cheshire Young Carers.

Cllr Gaskill-Jones said: “The addition of a fundraiser to close the week is new to the programme and something the Wellbeing Hub is thrilled to include. We are really pleased to provide an opportunity for people to raise funds for this wonderful cause.”

A timetable for the week can be found on the Wellbeing Winsford Facebook page and the Winsford Town Council website with paper copies of the programme available from Wyvern House reception, Winsford Lifestyle Centre, The Crosshatch Art Gallery and GP surgeries.