FREE heart checks are available at two Banbury pharmacies as part of an initiative aiming to prevent heart disease.

Checks are available at Knights Pharmacy, Grimsbury, and Cross Pharmacy, Horsefair, until March, for people between the ages of 40 and 74.

NHS staff will also visit local businesses to help ensure staff are in tip-top condition.

The heart check involves having blood pressure and weight measurements and answering a few questions about exercise and lifestyle.

Claire Laurent, health improvement practitioner for NHS Oxfordshire, said the project was targeting specific areas of Oxford including Rose Hill, Blackbird Leys and Cowley, as well as Banbury.

She said: “The free healthy heart checks are part of NHS Oxfordshire’s Preventing Cardiovascular Disease project.”

Banbury employer Fiddes Payne, of Thorpe Way, which produces baking and seasoning goods, has taken advantage of the scheme.

Managing director Iain Macpherson said: “We are encouraging all staff to take 20 minutes out of their working day to safeguard their health, and I certainly will be. This is a fantastic initiative and we are more than happy to allow staff to take the time to ensure their good health.

“We are so pleased that NHS Oxfordshire asked us to become involved.”

For more information or to request a site visit call Ms Laurent on 01865 336877.