A West Midlands-based initiative that aims to tackle the obesity epidemic and improve the health of tens of thousands of people across the UK has been given a boost by generous workers.

Social enterprise Innovation in Health and Wellbeing is developing a training scheme it hopes will create hundreds of weight-loss experts to work with obese people in the community.

The initiative is being co-ordinated by Dr Andrew Hartland, a bariatric physician at Walsall Manor Hospital and Manjit Jhooty, managing director of Jhoots Pharmacy. The training scheme is being developed as a partnership and includes: Walsall College, the Local Authority, Job Centre Plus and local Housing Associations.

It has been awarded a donation of £500 by staff at employment and training experts Pertemps People Development Group (PPDG) which has offices in Walsall, West Bromwich and throughout Birmingham. The good cause was nominated by PPDG operations director Ken Blyth.

Health problems associated with obesity include heart conditions, diabetes, high blood pressure, limited mobility, sleep apnea and depression, which all impact hugely on people’s lives. Bariatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the causes, prevention, and treatment of obesity.

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