30 August 2024
NHS and Public Health professionals are encouraging people aged 40 years and over to check their blood pressure.
It’s part of a week-long national ‘Know Your Numbers’ campaign, beginning next week, to raise awareness of high blood pressure.
Known as ‘the silent killer’, high blood pressure is a major cause of heart attack and stroke, but often has no symptoms.
Knowing your blood pressure, or ‘Knowing Your Numbers’, means that you can start making healthy lifestyle changes or start taking medicines if you need them to bring your blood pressure down to a healthy level.
Many local pharmacies across Devon are now offering free blood pressure checks. To check whether your local pharmacy offers free blood pressure checks visit the NHS webpage.
People can check what the result might mean using the NHS blood pressure checker.
While we're thinking about our health and wellbeing, it's Outdoor September month also starting next week. It's a campaign, promoted by Active Devon, to encourage us all to embrace the great outdoors!
Being active, particularly outdoors, benefits your health and wellbeing, and during the course of the month, Active Devon and partners from the Devon Local Nature Partnership, Devon Climate Emergency, our own Public Health team and Travel Devon, will be sharing details of events, ideas and tips to help us all make the most of our environment.
Councillor Andrea Davis is our Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport. She said:
“Why not take Outdoor September as the opportunity to immerse yourself in Devon’s breath taking scenery, embrace a healthier lifestyle, and add a little bit of nature into a daily routine.
"Whether you’re into hiking, biking, yoga, running, team sports, traveling actively or just a casual wheel or stroll, join your family or friends and get outdoors this September. Leaving the car at home when you can, can have amazing benefits, not only financially but on your mental and physical health too.”
You can read the full story on our news page.
 Councillors call for re-think on winter fuel payment
Our Leader, Councillor James McInnes (Conservative), and Councillor Alan Connett (Liberal Democrat), have signed a Notice of Motion calling on the Government to re-think its intention to stop winter fuel payments to all but the most needy pensioners.
The Government made the announcement last month that only people on Pension Credit and other benefits would continue to receive the £300 annual payment to help with their heating bills.
The Notice of Motion, which Councillor Connett will move, will be discussed at our County Council meeting next Thursday 5 September.
You can read the full story on our news page.
Pension Credit is worth, on average, £3,900 per year and unlocks additional support including the Winter Fuel Payment, help with council tax, NHS dental care and for those over 75, a free TV licence.
The Government is raising awareness of Pension Credit to help to identify households that are not yet claiming the benefit, and to encourage pensioners to apply by Saturday 21 December.
Pension Credit can be backdated by up to three months, so long as there is entitlement during that time, which means that pensioners need to have applied by Saturday 21 December in order to receive the Winter Fuel Payment.
You can read more in the news story on the Government's website. You can also find information about Pension Credit online.
Adult learners at Learn Devon were among those who endured the nerve-racking moment of collecting their GCSE results last week.
Learn Devon, our adult education service, offers free GCSE English and maths qualifications, with courses that start in September and in January.
Congratulations to all of our learners for their hard work in achieving their grades, with many of them fitting in their studies around family and work commitments.
You can read how some of them got on in the news story on our website.
 Back to school and childcare
As we come to the end of August, and with many families' focuses turning to the new term, we have published a few special editions of our ConnectMe newsletter with information to help parents and children to prepare and settle in for the coming weeks.
Many children and young people will be returning to school, some will be starting new schools, and others moving on to college. Good luck to you all. We hope that you are rested and have enjoyed the summer break.
If you missed any of the newsletters in your Inbox this week, you can read our special edition 'Back to School' newsletter here, including this one for parents and carers of young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. We've also recently published an update for parents and carers about childcare.
Work to relocate Cullompton’s Cricket Ground began this week. It's a necessary first step to make way for a future relief road that would otherwise pass right through the existing cricket pitch.
The relief road is key to improving the town centre and town itself, helping to reduce air pollution associated with traffic congestion, and it's vital to unlocking development space for housing in the area.
Mid Devon District Council conducted a survey last year and 92 per cent of respondents supported the delivery of a relief road.
In the meantime, the existing cricket pitch will remain playable until the new one, in its new location, is ready.
You can read more in the story on our news page.
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