Carrickfergus Borough Council - Hearty Lives Carrickfergus

Environment Menu

Hearty Lives Carrickfergus

A partnership between Carrickfergus Borough Council, the British Heart Foundation, the Public Health Agency and the Northern Health and Social Care Trust is working towards raising awareness and providing support for people in Carrickfergus aiming to lead 'Hearty Lives'.

The Hearty Lives Programme 

Cardiovascular disease* unfairly affects certain populations within the UK, particularly those living in areas of high socio-economic deprivation and certain geographical regions.  The British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) Hearty Lives programme aims to reduce the high levels of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in these communities, improve their uptake of health services and boost the heart health capacity of local organisations.  Hearty Lives is the British Heart Foundation’s £10m UK wide programme to reduce these geographical inequalities in heart disease.

Through its Hearty Lives Carrickfergus project, BHF Northern Ireland will invest over £230,000 over the next three years in communities such as Carrickfergus, Whitehead and Greenisland to tackle maternal and family obesity.

Working in partnership with the Northern Health & Social Care Trust, Carrickfergus Borough Council, the Managed Obesity Network and the Public Health Agency, Hearty Lives Carrickfergus aims to:

• Develop programmes to tackle obesity (a risk factor for heart and circulatory disease) in women of child bearing age.
• Help achieve and maintain a healthy weight for women before, during and after pregnancy using a partnership approach.
• Co-ordinate and develop obesity prevention programmes for families. 

*What is Cardiovascular disease (CVD)? 

Cardiovascular disease is also called ‘heart and circulatory disease’.  It means all diseases of the heart and circulation, including coronary heart disease (angina and heart attack) and stroke. Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in the UK and causes more than one in every three deaths.

Why Carrickfergus? 

• Cardiovascular Disease is the main cause of death in Carrickfergus Borough.
• Three wards within the borough have female life expectancy rates consistently below the Northern Ireland average.

Project  Progress

We are now involved in the process of recruiting for the posts of one Managed Obesity Nurse and one Maternal Obesity Nurse who will be based in the Carrickfergus Borough Council to support this project.

For more information please click here to see the British Heart Foundation site.