OPERATION CHECKMATE – SATURDAY 19 JUNE 2010
MEN’S HEALTH EVENT – PLYMOUTH NHS

“John Ryan comedian and Master of Ceremonies for the day drew large crowds where members of the public not only benefitted from a good laugh but gained valuable information as well. The day was a great success thanks to John and it is true that laughter is the best medicine!

Over 100 men had health MOT’s (30% of which were referred to other services). 70 received stop smoking advice, over 80 were given skin cancer awareness information and 75 new blood donors were registered.
500 pedometers and water bottles were distributed, in fact we ran out such was their popularity!

The events focus was on getting men more active. Over 100 took a rowing challenge, over 200 took football and bike challenges. Top scorers got some great prizes including the best sports quiz team.”

Community Public Health Practitioner, Public Health Development Unit

A word from John himself: “The day started out with me avoiding the full English breakfast at the hotel. I felt a bit guilty bulking up on the calories before talking to a crowd about their health. However I got as far as the muesli when the smell of the bacon wafted over. The waitress assured me that it was grilled so I figured it was healthy. Plymouth is a lively town and there was a good crowd many of whom remembered me from last year. The brief was straightforward, we needed to encourage the public to take up some of the many opportunities for health checks, and tips for a healthier lifestyle that were littered around the place. This they did in very ‘healthy’ numbers. The south west has the highest rates of skin cancer in the UK so there was plenty of opportunities to mention the free sun cream and other preventative measures available. The highlight of the day was being able to offer free condoms with my advice to “keep it zipped up and you wont need these’. All in all another great day and I even managed to avoid the chips with my grilled meat and salad (aka a kebab).  Roll on next year.”