Over 35 people took part in an event which included a lung health check, at Strand By Me, the community and health services shop in Bootle, during Breathe Easy week.

The event, organised by NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Sefton South Breathe Easy Group supported by Sefton Council for Voluntary Services (CVS) came together with Julie Morris, a nurse from Primary Care Respiratory Training Centre (PCRTC) to offer advice to residents.

Mick Maher, chair of the Breathe Easy group, said: “The event went really well. Along with raising awareness of the support on offer to people with breathing difficulties in south Sefton we also offered people a lung health check called a spirometry test. We recruited eight more members to the group and also encouraged four people to get help to stop smoking, which is great.

“I was diagnosed with a lung condition a while back now and had no idea what it was or how to deal with it, so I went on a self-management course. Then I thought, along with others on the course, that people in the community would really benefit from having that knowledge whether it’s for them, or for someone they know. So, we set up the group and decided to put this event on during Breathe Easy week.”

Jenny Kristiansen, respiratory lead at NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: “We invited Julie, a nurse from the respiratory training centre to offer the lung health checks. A person’s breathing can be affected by lung conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, pulmonary fibrosis and cystic fibrosis, so having the lung test can help detect any issues early on.

“I can’t recommend the Breathe Easy group events enough and I was glad to see that the day at Strand By Me was really beneficial to those who popped in.”

One person out of seven in the UK is affected by a lung condition and the British Lung Foundation, Breathe Easy group, NHS South Sefton CCG and Sefton CVS want those people to know support is available for every one of them. Sefton South Breathe Easy group meets the 2nd Tuesday of every month 1pm – 3pm at Strand by Me shop, located in Bootle strand on the ground floor facing Wilkinsons.

After attending a respiratory and self-management training course organised by NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Sefton CVS, the patients decided to launch the new Breathe Easy group. It was officially launched in June 2015 and they come together once a month with local residents in south Sefton to share their knowledge.

For more information on ‘Breathe Easy Sefton South’ or to become a member, please visit: https://www.blf.org.uk/support-in-your-area/breathe-easy-sefton-south-support-group.