Healthy heart initiative launches at Guernsey Library

Friday, 13 February 2026 15:29

Islanders interested in monitoring their blood pressure can now borrow monitors from the Guille-Allès Library.

Marking Heart Month in February, Guernsey Chest & Heart have teamed up with the Guille-Allès Library.

Five new blood pressure kits, donated by Healthspan, are now available to borrow.

Islanders can check them out for free, for up to three weeks with their library card.

The organisations hope the scheme will make it easier for people to understand and protect their heart health.

Centre Manager at Guernsey Chest & Heart, Caroline Ogier, says around one in three adults in the UK have high blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

“We want to encourage more people to check their blood pressure at home, as it could save their life.

"Millions of adults in the UK have undiagnosed high blood pressure, and don’t know they’re at risk.

"There are rarely any symptoms, so the only way to find out if you have high blood pressure is through a blood pressure check – and we hope this scheme will make it easier than ever to do this yourself at home by borrowing a kit from the Library.

“Once people know their numbers, they’ll be better informed about whether they need to speak to a GP, and can start making healthy lifestyle changes.”

Caroline adds that being able to check blood pressure at home over several days may give more accurate results than in a clinical, stressful setting.

The Library’s Community & Wellbeing Lead, Jackie Burgess, says similar schemes are already running in many libraries across the UK.

“Libraries are the perfect place to offer this kind of initiative because they’re at the heart of their communities, and they’re all about supporting wellbeing and providing access to information in all its forms.

"It’s quick and easy to borrow a blood pressure monitor – and you can even borrow a book at the same time.

"All you need is a Library card – if you don’t have one already, it only takes a few minutes to sign up for your free membership.”