An exciting new initiative in Morecambe will help adults with learning disabilities to eat healthier and become more active.

The Watching Our Weight Club, or WOW for short, is a 12-month pilot funded by North Lancashire Teaching PCT. Meeting twice a month for a weigh-ins and practical sessions, the participants will learn the fundamentals of nutrition and exercise in a very visual way, with video diaries and storytelling being two key methods of communication. Members will also be helped to create their own individual menus that will be used to encourage weight loss and healthy eating.

Along the way they will be given monogrammed chefs hats and aprons to build a sense of identity, while certificates and vouchers will reward positive outcomes and attendance.

The WOW Club was designed and developed by physiotherapist and Active Living Co-ordinator Dr Jeff Bartley who has gathered together a team of community health workers, including nurses, therapists and support workers, to help him deliver the project.

He says: "Very little has been done in this field for people with learning disabilities and yet they face more barriers than most to achieving healthier and more active lives. Their complex needs and challenging behaviours mean they are unable to access mainstream weight management clubs because they are not picthed at their level. The WOW Club aims to address this inequality and is designed specifically to meet the members' communication, cognitive and social support needs".

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