To help local people to take their first steps towards a healthier lifestyle, the Leeds Let’s Change team will be encouraging local people to take part in a Zumba dance class.

In addition to this local people can sign up to Leeds Let’s Change and get their hands on a voucher booklet. The booklet provides discounts on a range of activities all designed to improve their lifestyles, helping people look better, feel better while having fun.

Leeds Let’s Change, which has been developed by the NHS in Leeds with a range of partners including Leeds City Council and a number of voluntary and community groups, makes it easier for local people to access healthy living advice and support.

Leeds Let’s Change provides a website, http://www.leedsletschange.co.uk/, backed up by a telephone helpline (0113 843 4538) so that local people can access services that can help them make changes to their lifestyles.

By visiting http://www.leedsletschange.co.uk/, or calling the helpline, people can find out how they could use free services, run by the NHS or its partners, to:

• eat healthier;
• be active;
• lose weight;
• drink responsibly; or
• quit smoking.

The website also provides simple tips to show how people can make small changes in their lifestyles which will have a positive impact on their health and wellbeing.

Dr Ian Cameron, Director of Public Health for Leeds, says: “Leeds Let’s Change is a fantastic way of helping people in Leeds, including health and social care professionals and community groups, to access advice and support from a single website. The services listed on http://www.leedsletschange.co.uk/ are either provided or commissioned by the NHS inLeeds or its partners including Leeds City Council. This means that people will be able to access the majority of these services free of charge and with the confidence that they are proven to help you make long-term changes to your lifestyle.”

Leeds Let’s Change has been developed by NHS Airedale, Bradford and Leeds with the support of Leeds City Council, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust, Leeds Partnerships NHS Foundation Trust and voluntary and community groups from across the city.

In April, Leeds Let’s Change will be running a competition giving people a chance to win a Nintendo Wii console including the Wii Fit package. Further details will be available through http://www.leedsletschange.co.uk/.