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Heinz Waist Busters Shed 250 Tins of
Beans!
Photo Call: Photographers are invited to photograph the Heinz ‘Waist
Watchers’ team alongside their equivalent weight loss in beans at the
final session on Thursday 13th July at 12.30pm at HJ Heinz, Wigan.
Contact: Chris Dunbar on 07883 014706.
Twenty Four ‘Waist Watchers’ from Heinz have managed to lose over eight
stone in weight thanks to Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust’s Well @ Work
programme. That’s the equivalent of 250 tins of Heinz Baked Beans in
just ten weeks!
‘Waist Watchers’ is part of the Well @ Work scheme that is designed to
educate and encourage staff at Heinz and HM Prison Hindley to lead
healthier lifestyles. Around 1800 staff are being targeted as part of a
national two-year programme to test ways of improving the health of
employees.
Alison Gilfoyle, WLCT’s Project Coordinator explains why the Waist
Watchers element was introduced, “When we conducted a staff
questionnaire at Heinz, we found that 66 per cent of employees were
overweight. Twenty three per cent of male and 13 per cent of female
employees were clinically obese. Encouragingly, 51 per cent of staff
expressed a desire to improve their nutritional habits, we decided a
weight management programme was a good way to educate people on how to
eat sensibly. All 24 staff who signed up to the scheme showed great
commitment and have all commented how much their energy levels have
increased.”
In the same staff survey, 42 per cent of staff admitted they do not
consume the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables per day.
Sarah Hodgkinson, the Primary Care Trust’s ‘Five A Day’, says, “The focus
of the sessions was not just about weight loss, but education around
healthy eating habits and lifestyle changes. Advice and guidance was
given highlighting all aspects of food and health which will help
participants to continue to lose weight, and then maintain a healthy
weight. All those who took part thoroughly enjoyed the sessions and
gained a wealth of knowledge, regardless of how much weight they've
lost!”
Twenty four members of staff have now completed the ten week course,
where people gave up their lunch times to attend. They were weighed each
week and a waist measurement was taken at the first meeting with final
measurements being made this week.
The course provided staff with information and guidance on weight loss
and covered topics such as fats, sugar, alcohol, food labelling, salt,
fibre and healthy snacking. A body suit was brought in for staff to feel
what carrying an extra ten pounds felt like.
So far, the group has lost 112.5 pounds (just over 8 stone). The group’s
stars are Andy Matthews who has lost 17 and a half pounds and Debbie
Riley who has lost 14 pounds.
The Well @ Work project in Wigan is co-ordinated by Wigan Leisure and
Culture Trust. It is one of nine projects across England under the Well
@ Work programme, coordinated by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and
funded by the Department of Health, Sport England and the Big Lottery
Fund. For further information contact Alison Gilfoyle on 01942 488486.
-ends-
NOTES TO EDITORS: For further information on this News Release please
contact Chris Dunbar, Public Relations Officer, Wigan Leisure and
Culture Trust on 01942 486937 or at c.dunbar@wlct.org.
Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust: Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust is a
charitable trust working on behalf of Wigan Council to manage and
support leisure and cultural facilities, initiatives and events for over
300,000 residents in the Wigan Borough. See
www.wlct.org.
Getting Wigan Active: Getting Wigan Active is Wigan Leisure and Culture
Trust’s vision to ensure that people across the Wigan Borough have the
opportunity to become more physically, mentally and creatively active.
It also aims to increase community activity and to encourage good
citizenship.
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