Western House opens doors to promote healthy lifestyles across mid-Ulster

Housing local charities including the Niamh Louise Foundation, Lilac and Step, the specially convened Open Day offered local people the opportunity to experience a range of activities designed to boost healthy physical and mental well-being, and to meet with a number of health and wellness experts.

The groundbreaking initiative was funded by DSD through the Neighbourhood Renewal programme and facilitated via the Southern Health and Social Care Trust’s Neighbourhood Renewal Health Action Plan.  Councillor Francie Molloy, in his role as Coalisland Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership Chairperson, was in attendance to offer his ongoing support and said:

“We’re delighted to welcome an innovative event like this to Coalisland, an area which is in need of significantly more investment in community-based health services.  We hope that this Open Day is the first of many to come for Western House and this town”

Courtesy of the NR Health Action Plan the Action Cancer Big Bus was conveniently located in Murphys SuperValu, car park. The Big Bus offered free health checks and health advice for men and women along with digital breast screening services.  Judging by its full house of appointments, the ‘Big Bus’ proved to be a big hit with both male and female and young and old alike.

At a coffee morning inside Western House, Breakthru, Women’s Aid, Rural Support, Coalisland Training Services and Claire O’Prey SHSCT Smoking Cessation exhibited their wares; and guests enjoyed complimentary taster therapy sessions provided by therapists from the Niamh Louse Foundation and Lilac including colour breathing relaxation, reflexology and aromatherapy.

Commenting on its first Community Open Day, Southern Health Trust Neighbourhood Renewal Co-ordinator, Donna Haughian, hoped that the initiative would become the first of many events in Western House:

“We see Western House as a hub to promote a range of essential health and wellness-related events and services for our very diverse community.  We’re delighted at the response to our inaugural Community Open Day, and we look forward to running more successful health events in the future”.

Resident Western House charity, the Niamh Louise Foundation officially launched its ‘myths and facts’ promotional literature in Portuguese, Lithuanian and Polish thanks to funding secured from Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council.

For more information on the services within Western House, please contact Eimear at the Niamh Louise Foundation on: 028 87 740354 or Terence at Lilac on: 028 87 746600.