Rotary Club of Thame

Sat Apr 28th 2012
The Rotary clubs of Thame and Haddenham & District hosted a “Know Your Blood Pressure” event at the Cooperative Supermarket in Thame on Saturday 28th April 2012 to help raise awareness of the link between high blood pressure and stroke.

The Rotary clubs of Thame and Haddenham & District hosted a “Know Your Blood Pressure” event at the Co-operative Supermarket, High Street in Thame on Saturday 28th April 2012 to help raise awareness of the link between high blood pressure and stroke across the UK. The event took place between 10 am and 2 pm, offering the public a free blood pressure monitoring service with information and advice on stroke related health issues. 

At the same time the two clubs carried out a street collection to raise funds on behalf of the Stroke Association.

The two Rotary Clubs joined scores of clubs across the UK as part of the “Know Your Blood Pressure Campaign” in partnership with The Stroke Association and the Ambulance Service. 

It is estimated that around 16 million people in the UK have high blood pressure and around a third are unaware of this. At least 40% of strokes could be prevented each year if people checked their blood pressure and took steps to control it. In 2011, more than 30,000 people had their blood pressure taken at a Know Your Blood Pressure event and more than 4,000 people were diagnosed with high blood pressure. 

Rachel Seyler from the Stroke Association says: “Thousands of strokes could be prevented every year if more people took steps to monitor their blood pressure. You can keep your blood pressure under control by making a few healthy lifestyle changes. For example, eating a balanced diet in saturated fat, exercising regularly and cutting your salt intake will go a long way. Knowing your blood pressure is the vital first step and I strongly urge everyone to go and get theirs checked.” 

Around 75 people had their blood pressure checked. The two clubs are grateful to the nurses from Thame and Haddenham medical practices as well as to paramedics South Central Ambulance Service Trust who kindly measured the blood pressure of the members of the public.

To find out more about the campaign, please send us an e-mail or call the Stroke Association on 0303 30 33 100.