Rhinos News
Leeds Rhinos, in partnership with the Change 4 Life Team at the Department of Health and the Centre for Men’s Health at Leeds Metropolitan University are pleased to offer our male fans a range of health advice services on match days during the 2009 Super League season.
Free health checks are being offered by the specialist nurses from Men’s Health Plus, before, during and after the match. These will be held in the bar areas, but private consultations are also available.
Free Stop Smoking and Weight Loss groups just for men will start on 13th March 2009. These will be held at the stadium prior to kick off for each home game.
To put your name down for one of the groups or want further information please ring freephone 0800 7311 170 or email menshealth@leedsmet.ac.uk
Come and join us at the Rhinos training ground at Kirkstall
Leeds Rhinos’ Community Development team are working in partnership with Tackling Men’s Health to bring you a great chance to see where the Rhinos train and for you to share some of their facilities and get good health advice.
If it’s good enough for Kevin and the lads then let’s see what we can do for you
Being able to run around the rugby pitch dodging tackles for 80 minutes might be a little much to ask, but taking part could mean you lose a couple of inches off your belly, increase your fitness and become much more healthy.
There will be 6 sessions held on Fridays between 6 and 7pm at the Kirkstall training ground (more details to follow). As the programme is run in partnership with the Rhinos, you don’t need to worry about being late for any matches we will alter the times where necessary. The first session will be held on the 12th June. And it is all free.
As the sessions go on there will be some surprises in store and prizes as well.
If you are aged 16 or over, and would like to take advantage of this unique opportunity, you need to book yourself a place by emailing menshealth@leedsmet.ac.uk or calling Freephone 0800 7311170
The programme is being run by:
The Rhinos Community Development team,
Men’s Health Plus – specialist men’s health nurses who have been doing the health checks on match days. Andrew Harrison won a major prize for running weight loss groups for men in the workplace.
Professor Alan White, Director of the Centre for Men’s Health at Leeds Metropolitan University and editor of the book “Hazardous Waist: tackling male weight problems”.
Others (including a dietician) will join the sessions as required.
To make sure this is a good idea we have some researchers from the University who may be getting in contact with you on the first day.
Manual for men’s health launched
A new straight-forward, straight-talking guide for men’s health – in the style of a car manual - is being launched. The project brings together a range of partners including Leeds Met, the Department of Health Yorkshire and Humber, the Men’s Health Forum, the NHS and Leeds Rugby.
Funded and commissioned by the Department of Health as part of its Change4Life programme, ‘Yorkshire Man: A practical step-by-step guide’ is designed to look like a car manual and is a guide to health promotion specifically for men in the region, reflecting men’s views about the sort of information they want and how it should be presented.
To launch the Yorkshire Man, Leeds Met’s Professor of Men’s Health and Chair of the Men’s Health Forum, Alan White, alongside Leeds Rhinos captain Kevin Sinfield and Ronnie the Rhino, will be giving away copies of the manual and speaking to men about their health issues outside the new Leeds Rhinos shop in the St Johns Centre.
The guide forms part of the Tackling Men’s Health partnership between Leeds Met and Leeds Rhinos, which delivers health promotion messages and screening for fans at Headingley Carnegie Stadium on match days.
Kevin Sinfield commented: “We are delighted to be part of this worthwhile project. Health is something that is very important to us as athletes but it is just as important for every man. Tackling Men’s Health and the Change4Life scheme are great initiatives. Let’s hope we can play a small part in their success.”
Professor White – who was the world’s first Professor of Men’s Health - explained why a guide for men in Yorkshire is needed. He said: “There is very little health information that has been specially focused at men, which leaves many of us unaware of what is and is not important when it comes to our wellbeing. We hope that the Yorkshire Man mini-manual will provide an easily understood reference guide for men that can give them the information they need to make the right choices with regard to their health.
“Having a Yorkshire identity is very important for many men living in this region. Having this book focused not only onto our health needs but also providing details of services that are available locally makes it relevant to us all.”
Dr Ian Banks, President of the Men’s Health Forum, is the writer of its series of men’s health mini-manuals and commented: “The latest in the mini-manuals has taken the concept to a new level. Others in the series, such as ‘Self-Care for Minor Ailments”, have been really popular with men. I am sure that ‘Yorkshire Man’ will be even more successful.”
Jane Riley, Associate Director of Public Health for the Yorkshire and Humber region, added: "The Yorkshire Man guide has been written for men of all ages right across the region. We know that Yorkshire men are proud of their region and their reputation for working hard, doing well and having fun: whether it's at work, with their families or on the sports field.
“The guide aims to give them the sort of information they want, in the way they want it. It has been written with the input of men from the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and we hope that all men across the region will find something in it that will help them improve their own health, reduce their stress levels and get the most out of their lives."
The guide links to further sources of information including the NHS and a range of high quality websites and guidance, including the associated and dedicated website which has been developed alongside the manual, www.menshealthforum.org.uk, and has been awarded the Crystal Mark by the Plain English Campaign.
• Leeds Metropolitan University has 30,000 students and over 300,000 associate students through its partnerships with 24 colleges.
• The University has achieved its best ever Research Assessment Exercise results. Sports-Related Studies is in the top 6 institutions in the country with research rated at the highest levels of 4* and 3*.
• The University scored highly in the Times Higher's Student Experience and was ranked 2nd in the category 'Good library and library opening hours'.
• Leeds Metropolitan University won the 'Coaching Environment of the Year’ award at the sports coach uk 2008 UK Coaching Awards and was announced as the home of the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence.
• The University is home to The UK Centre for Coaching Excellence.
• Leeds Met Carnegie is the primary partner of rugby league’s Carnegie Challenge Cup.
• The Men’s Health Forum, founded in 1994, is a charity working to improve the health of men and boys across England & Wales through the development of health services that meet men’s needs and to enable men to change their risk-taking behaviour. For more information visit www.menshealthforum.org.uk and the Forum’s consumer site www.malehealth.co.uk
Useful sources of health advice for men
Your GP
NHS Direct
www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
ring - 0845 4647
For advice on losing weight:
• www.eatwell.gov.uk
For advice on stopping smoking:
• http://smokefree.nhs.uk
For advice on exercise and keeping active:
• www.malehealth.co.uk/userpage1.cfm?item_id=298
