Footballers support for screening

Members of the Shrewsbury Walking Football Club for players over the age of 55 have been raising awareness of the Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) screening programme offered by The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust.

The team leading the AAA screening programme, based at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, is offering free screening for men aged over 65 who are at most risk of AAAs, a swelling in the aorta, which can be fatal if not detected early.

The club, which operates in partnership with Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin, attracts an average of 34 players every week, meeting at Monkmoor Recreation Ground in Shrewsbury. One member of the team urged his teammates to go along to the screening session, resulting in 15 men putting their names forward.

Kevin Moore, Director of Operations at Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin, said: ‘The walking footballers are a great support network for each other. It is often difficult to engage with men about health-related issues so we were delighted to hear that so many of the players had gone along to the AAA screening offered free of charge by The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust.’

Jess Smith, AAA Programme Coordinator at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said: ‘Over 200 older men in Shropshire have been diagnosed with AAA over the past 4 years so it is really important to make men aware of the screening programme. Working in partnership with the Shrewsbury Walking Football Club and local charities such as Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin enables us to reach those people who are most at risk.’

The AAA screening takes place within local GP practices at both the Royal Shrewsbury and Princess Royal Hospitals, as well as other locations. The League of Friends of the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital made this possible through their generous donation of the screening equipment.

For further details about the AAA screening programme please call the AAA Screening Team on 01743 261 048 or email them at stwaaascreening@sath.nhs.uk

If you’re interested in joining the walking football club call us on 01743 233 123 for more information.