New scheme will help disabled people in South Tyneside monitor their weight

Bliss=Ability project worker Tara Johnson, and dog Butler, with volunteer Patrick Brand on the scales.

New drop-in sessions are being launched by BLISS=Ability, next month, for those looking to improve their overall health.

With the help of a special device, people will be able to have their actual weight measured without leaving their wheelchair.

The machine, bought through cash donated by the Big Lottery’s Awards for All grants scheme, works by deducting the weight of the wheelchair or mobility aid to give a person’s bodyweight.

Already, a number of people have taken advantage of the device to help them with their weight management.

The ‘weigh to go’ sessions are the idea of volunteer Tara Johnson after she found there was nowhere for people with disabilities or those who rely on a wheelchair to go and get weighed.

Angela Dunn, of BLISS=Ability said: “We have been out in the community and have a number of nursing homes who bring their residents in to see us.

“It’s not just for people wanting to lose weight, we have had people come in who have been found to be underweight.

“It’s about helping people to monitor their weight so they can be healthy. It has been a success.”

Previously people had to travel to Newcastle to be weighed.

The weekly confidential drop-in sessions start in the new year on Tuesday, January 8, from 10am until noon.

For information or to make an alternative appointment contact Angela Dunn on 427 14666.