More than 100 fans aged between 40 and 65 had a free blood pressure check, tour around the club’s Lamex Stadium and a talk on the dangers of undiagnosed high blood pressure at a special evening event.
Undetected high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, can lead to serious illness such a stroke and heart attacks and often has no symptoms – so it is vital people aged 40 and over ‘take a sec to check’ their blood pressure every six months.
Herts and West Essex ICB teamed up with GP surgeries in Stevenage and Letchworth and Stevenage FC Community Foundation to host the session where even club mascot Boro Bear got involved and had his own blood pressure checked!
Thanks to the generosity of the Stevenage FC Community Foundation each fan who had their blood pressure checked was also offered a behind-the-scenes tour of the stadium and a free ticket to a home match.
Some of those who attended had never had their blood pressure checked and did not know why it was so important – and in some cases the results were life changing.
Four people were identified with dangerously high blood pressure and advised to take immediate follow-up action by the GP in attendance. Others were loaned a blood pressure kit by their GP practice, so they could monitor their readings over a week and report back their findings.
Feedback from the event was universally positive, with many people now having a better understanding of high blood pressure and its risks.
One said:
“The event was fantastic and really well run. The speaker did a fantastic job explaining everything. Going to contact my GP tomorrow and get myself sorted. Thanks for saving my life.”
Matt Charles, who works on behalf of the GP practices in south Stevenage said it was a fantastic opportunity for local residents:
He added: “It was encouraging to see such strong community engagement on the night, and a real pleasure to work in partnership with Stevenage Borough Football Club and our local healthcare partners.”
And Dr Dilshan Gunawardene, GP partner at Stanmore Medical Group in north Stevenage, said: “This event highlighted the vital importance of knowing your numbers.
“Initiatives like this, alongside our scheme to loan out blood pressure monitors for home use and waiting room self-checks, show the value of proactive monitoring, and we would be keen to take part in similar events in the future.
Melissa Edwards, Community Engagement Manager at Stevenage FC Community Foundation, said:
“By offering stadium tours and tickets to the game, we were able to make the experience even more enjoyable and encourage more people to come down, get involved, and get their blood pressure checked.
“We are proud to have supported such an important initiative and to see so many in our community benefit, not only from the checks themselves but also from the chance to learn more about why it matters. We look forward to continuing this partnership and we hope to deliver more opportunities that bring our community together and can benefit their health and wellbeing.”
Sharn Elton, from NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board, said: “This event shows the real power of partnership working. By teaming up with Stevenage Football Club and local GPs, we reached people who might never have had their blood pressure checked. This kind of partnership takes health checks out of clinical settings and into people’s everyday lives – and in some cases, this can be life-saving.”