Link4Life staff have signed up to a 'Train the Trainer' programme to help spread information and advice on improving health.

The Level 2 'Understanding Health Improvement' course, run by the Royal Society of Public Health, will equip key people in the organisation to cascade information to front line staff to assist in their daily contact with customers.

Plans are in place for Link4Life to become an authorised centre for RSPH and to train around 150 frontline staff up to Level 2 to be "health chatters." It will mean that many staff will have the awareness, knowledge and confidence to broach llifestyle issues with customers and signpost them to appropriate support.

The project is a joint initiative with the local health authority in the Rochdale borough. A trial run during Alcohol Awareness week in November resulted in over 600 'chats' being held with customers on the 'Hot Topic' of safe drinking. The next planned 'Health Chat' will be in the summer on increasing physical activity.