Local man and 15/19th The King's Royal Hussar Veteran, 57-year-old Andy Denholm brought his blood pressure into healthy range, lost an incredible three stone and three pounds, improved his Body Mass Index (BMI) and mental health and is now embarking on a stop smoking programme. He achieved all of this with the support of the team at County Durham Wellbeing for Life (WBFL).
Andy’s journey started early in 2024 with a routine GP health check which highlighted his blood pressure was high. This was followed up by the Health Checks team who called Andy to discuss the results and suggested a referral to the WBFL service for support.
Keen to make changes to improve his blood pressure without the need for medication, Andy took up the offer. A one-to-one session was booked with WBFL practitioner, Tina Irving, in February and he agreed to start the Eatwise programme.
Tina said, “Andy has been an absolute delight to work with. His dedication was clear right from the very start and, whilst weight loss wasn’t his initial goal, he absolutely smashed it. He has followed all our advice, used the tools we’ve given him and has remained on track right from the start.
When first referred to WBFL, Andy was off work with depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), WBFL have been able to support not just his physical health but also his mental health.
Andy said, “This week I’m not just attending my last Eatwise session but it’s also my last MIND and Counselling sessions too. Your Wellbeing Course has helped me so much - I’ve managed to return to work on a phased return and next week I’m back full time. You have listened to me not just with questions and food and diet but with my mental health too - I can’t wait to start the Mindfulness Course.”
Statistics show that County Durham is the fifth highest authority area in the North East for levels of adult obesity, at 1.8% above the regional average and 7.8% above the national average. Similarly for Hypertension (high blood pressure) County Durham are 3.4% above the national average. Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and high blood pressure and is a chronic condition that can also lead to poor mental health.
Tina continued, “It wasn’t all about weight loss for Andy. As his weight come down, he saw huge improvements in his blood pressure, which was within the healthy range last time we tested, his BMI has moved from the obese back to the healthy weight range and his overall mental health has improved.”
Lindsey Wood, Wellbeing for Life Manager said, “Support from Wellbeing for Life is free to anyone living or working in County Durham and our team works tirelessly to improve outcomes and reduce health inequalities for the people they support.
Andy has made the most of everything we offer; he’s made incredible changes to his lifestyle and is now looking forward to working with our Stop Smoking Advisor too. We are immensely proud of what he’s achieved - we have provided the support, but Andy has done the hard work.”
On the morning of Andy’s final Eatwise session, he fulfilled a promise he’d made to himself back in February - to start running again. He completed over three miles in just over 30 minutes and was rightly very proud of his achievements - well done Andy.
To find out more about the services offered by Wellbeing for Life, visit their website at www.wellbeingforlife.net or email them at cdda-tr.WBFL@nhs.net
The Pioneering Care Partnership (PCP) delivers WBFL with the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust.