Burnley is to host its first 'Health Mela' offering a wide range of free health checks for people across the town.

Organised by the National Forum for Health and Wellbeing (NFHW), in partnership with the University of Central Lancashire’s School of Medicine and Dentistry, the free event on Saturday, May 11, will bring together health professionals, community volunteers and UCLan students to offer health checks and advice to visitors.

There will be opportunities to have blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol checks, as well as speaking to health professionals about cancer support, pain management and oral health.

The Teddy Bear Clinic will be open for children to bring along their soft toys for a health MOT and people can also enjoy reiki and a Bollywood Dance performance.

Burnley MP Antony Higginbotham will officially open the event, which is focused on 'empowering communities to improve their health and wellbeing'.

Chair of the steering group of the NFHW and Honorary Professor at UCLan, Romesh Gupta, said: “We’ve been running an annual health mela in Preston for a number of years and are delighted to be able to host another one in Burnley so that the people of East Lancashire can easily access these important services.

“Thanks to the free health checks at the recent Preston Health Mela, 52 people were referred to their doctors for further intervention, many were picked up with raised cardiovascular risks and three were diagnosed as diabetic for the first time, so it really is a service that makes a difference."

The Burnley Health Mela will take place between 11am and 3pm on Saturday, May 11, in Victoria Mill at UCLan’s Burnley Campus, where visitors can get free parking.