BURY'S pioneering Health Action Zone was given the official seal of approval when health minister John Denham came to town.

He dropped in to see how the ground-breaking HAZ will improve the health of the poorest people in the borough, particularly in East ward. Mr Denham came to the Elizabethan Suite in Bury Town Hall on Wednesday and met health bosses, council leaders and the borough's MPs.

The Bury and Rochdale HAZ is one of just two to be established in the North West in the second wave, and it will target people from ethnic minorities, children and old people.

The HAZ will receive £6.7 million over three years and aims to reduce deaths from heart disease, cut hospital admissions, lower the number of accidents involving old folk, and reduce the number of teenage pregnancies as well as combating smoking.

It ties in with the East Bury project which has just received £5 million towards regeneration. The cash could lever in a further £30 million to create new homes, community facilities, improve the environment, tackle crime and provide jobs training.

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