Annual 'Know your Blood Pressure Day'

Know Your Blood Pressure Day is an annual event run by Weston Rotary Club with The Stroke Association.

On Saturday 22nd April 2017 in Weston-super-Mare High Street we provided free blood pressure checks to 104 people with most indicating normal but a proportion indicating concern with advice to see a GP witin 28 or 7 days.

Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland and the Stroke Association have teamed up to help people stop for a moment and get their blood pressure tested and to raise awareness of the link between high blood pressure and stroke.

Over half of all strokes can be caused by high blood pressure.  As well as having a blood pressure check, local residents can also receive advice on steps to keep it under control and reduce their stroke risk.

Having a stroke can be devastating but people can reduce their risk significantly by paying attention to their blood pressure. Rotary is proud to support the Stroke Association’s Know Your Blood Pressure campaign because it is both simple and effective. The test takes a moment to do and potentially, it could save your life.

Having a regular blood pressure check is so important. Estimates suggest there could be almost seven million people with high blood pressure who are undiagnosed and at risk of having a stroke. Many people have high blood pressure without realising it because it often has no symptoms. High blood pressure is far more common than you would think and it can be deadly, but it is treatable. With events like this, together we can conquer stroke.