Council staff drop pounds

Promoting a healthy lifestyle are Chairman of Lisburn City Councils Corporate Services Committee, Councillor Pat Catney (centre and front) with Mrs Lesley Wilson, programme participant and Mr Shaun Doran from Health Matters (Health and Safety) Ltd.

Also pictured is (back l-r) Acting Assistant Director Corporate Services (Human Resources) Mrs Caroline Magee, Former Mayor, Alderman William Leathem; programme participants Mr Albert Reynolds and Mr Graham Erskine; Director of Corporate Services, Mr Adrian Donaldson MBE DL and Vice-Chairman of the Councils Corporate Services Committee, Councillor John Palmer. — Promoting a healthy lifestyle are Chairman of Lisburn City Councils Corporate Services Committee, Councillor Pat Catney (centre and front) with Mrs Lesley Wilson, programme participant and Mr Shaun Doran from Health Matters (Health and Safety) Ltd. Also pictured is (back l-r) Acting Assistant Director Corporate Services (Human Resources) Mrs Caroline Magee, Former Mayor, Alderman William Leathem; programme participants Mr Albert Reynolds and Mr Graham Erskine; Director of Corporate Services, Mr Adrian Donaldson MBE DL and Vice-Chairman of the Councils Corporate Services Committee, Councillor John Palmer.

Lisburn is the first council in Northern Ireland to run the scheme and has achieved remarkable results.

Staff with a BMI of over 25 were given the opportunity to join up to this programme which ran from May. The programme focussed on losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle and a total of 20 participants signed up to take part.

Chairman of the Council’s Corporate Services Committee, Councillor Pat Catney, who also took part in the programme, was delighted with this result: “Initiatives like this clearly demonstrate the council’s commitment to the long-term health of its employees.

“Research indicates that workplace wellbeing programmes improve the health, morale and productivity of employees and the investment by the council is beneficial to the entire organisation.

“Those employees who took part have made lifestyle changes, which means they are committed to their health and wellbeing in the long-term and this can only have a positive effect on their life both at work and at home.”

Participants of the programme also used the opportunity to raise funds for the Mayor’s charity at that time.

Former Mayor, Alderman William Leathem, received the money on behalf of the charity.

He said: “I was pleased to receive a total of £229 for the local charity Stepping Stones, which was my official charity when I was Mayor. I congratulate the employees of the council that took part in this programme. They achieved so much on a personal level.”