Free places available on the MEND programme in south and central Bristol

Families with children aged seven to 13 who are looking to get fitter and healthier can join the Bristol MEND Programme for free - thanks to Bristol City Council, who are running two MEND programmes this autumn. Programmes will be starting on Tuesday, September 25 at Hengrove Park Leisure Centre and on Monday, October 1 at Easton Leisure centre.

MEND stands for Mind, Exercise, Nutrition…Do it! The course is targeted at helping children who are above a healthy weight for their age to become healthier and more active with the support of their parents or carers.

The MEND Programme is the largest national scheme for tackling childhood weight-management and obesity and Bristol City Council is again able to offer places on this successful programme. Children and families who have previously participated have achieved tremendous results.

The MEND Programme takes place after school twice a week for ten weeks. A parent or carer must accompany each child to the twice, weekly sessions and places must be booked in advance. The Hengrove programme runs from September 25 to December 4 and the Easton programme runs from October 1 to December 10, 2012. A limited number of places are available on both programmes completely free of charge.

The programme includes a series of sessions to get the whole family involved in helping children to change their eating and exercise habits whilst learning about nutrition. The MEND programme works towards sustained improvements in overall health, fitness and well-being. 

“Previous families taking part in MEND have enjoyed real success and seen how MEND changes and benefits family’s lives,” says Michaela Mulcahy, MEND programme manager at Bristol City Council. “Children have lots of fun as they become healthier and fitter and it’s rewarding to see their self esteem and confidence increase during the programme.”

Places on the MEND Programme are being offered completely free on a first come, first served basis to families. For more information on other MEND programmes in Bristol or to register for the forthcoming Programme please call 0117 922 4719 or email: MEND@bristol.gov.uk

Parents wishing to check whether their child is a healthy weight or whether they might benefit from the MEND Programme can visit the MEND website which has a handy Body Mass Index (BMI) calculator.