A healthy-living charity which works across Shipley is expanding its work into inner-city Bradford where there are health inequalities.

HALE (Health Action Local Engagement) project has teamed up with the Bradford West Area Co-ordinators office, to work on a project in Manningham, which will see people coming together to tackle health issues.

People in Manningham live on average nine years less than those in other areas of Bradford. The two main reasons are diabetes and cardio-vascular heart disease (CVD).

Diabetes affects 6,000 people in the Manningham area – 30 per cent of the community. Diabetes can lead to complications including blindness, kidney failure and heart disease.

However early diagnosis, along with a healthy diet and lifestyle can mean these complications can be prevented.

Now people who work in Manningham are asked to join the initiative which will see them trained to pass on health advice.

Safa Ahmed, acting deputy manager at HALE, said: “We’re really excited to be launching this project in partnership with Bradford West Area Committee.

“Work we have done previously with groups around this area has highlighted a real need to raise awareness around healthy diet and weight management.

“We hope that a peer approach, gaining knowledge from people you already know — your local shopkeepers, your barber, for example – will help to spread some of the health messages around managing and preventing diabetes and CVD.”

Bhulla Singh, area co-ordinator for Bradford West, acknowledged the support and enthusiasm of businesses who have been contacted so far. HALE will run a free training event for anyone who works in the community to learn about diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure and general health advice so that they can share this with the people they work with. This is also open to anybody interested in bringing cases of diabetes and CVD down in the area.

The event will take place at on Wednesday at Manningham Mills. Call in from 2pm to 5pm.

Contact HALE on (01274) 271088 or Mahmood Mohammed at Bradford West Co-ordinator’s Office on (01274) 432597.