Bracken Bank women are to be taught how to adopt a healthier lifestyle on a new free course.

Many aspects of health will be covered during ten Saturday sessions at the estate's Sue Belcher Community Centre.

Relaxation, yoga, aromatherapy, reflexology and feng shui are among subjects to be covered from 11am to 2pm.

A health visitor and practise nurse will also attend sessions and advice will be offered on subjects such as healthy eating and well-being.

The course has been devised by Bracken Bank development worker Alison Robinson and is being run with support from Keighley College.

It runs from May 15-July 17 and a light lunch will be provided each week. Contact Roger Cannon at the college for details or phone 01535 618555 or 01535 618610.

The course, which is funded by Keighley Area Panel, the local arm of Bradford council, is open only to women living in Bracken Bank. Certificates will be awarded on completion.

Mrs Robinson says the course is aimed at all women aged 16 or above and urges young people to attend. She adds: "The women's group which meets at the centre on Tuesday afternoons asked for something like this."

Leaflets publicising the course will be sent to every house in the Bracken Bank area.

Meanwhile, a new activity club in Bracken Bank has become a runaway success with around 70 youngsters attending each session.

Organiser Carol Owlett has applied for a grant to enable the Monday-evening club to become a permanent fixture on the estate. Carol, a parent living in Bracken Bank, decided to set up the club for eight-12 year-olds to mix fun with education. Attractions include dance workshops, sewing, sport, snacks and a quiet corner for reading.

Carol's husband Mark is offering rugby training in the hope that a junior team can eventually be formed on the estate.

Carol set up the club as a pilot project for four weeks with the help of a team of volunteer parents. She wanted to show the need for such sessions in a bid to gain funding from the district's C2M millennium fund. The fund distributes lottery cash to groups and individuals in Keighley and Brad-ford who believe they can contribute to their community.

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