With the Giro d’Italia just six weeks away and the clocks wheeling forward an hour on Sunday 30 March, the Public Health Agency (PHA) is encouraging everyone to get on their bikes in the brighter evenings. Mary Black, Assistant Director for Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement at the PHA, said: “The stretch in the evenings means we have more time to get involved in physical activity, whether it’s going for a walk with the dog, kicking a ball in the park or getting out on the bike.

People in Magherafelt have a new way to get active as the Public Health Agency (PHA) and Magherafelt District Council have launched a new outdoor gym. Council Chairperson Catherine Elatter officially opened the free facility, which is funded by the PHA, in Swatragh Park in Magherafelt this week. The gym is made up of 14 pieces of cardiovascular and strength equipment which offer a variety of benefits to the user including improved balance and coordination, flexibility, strength and cardiovascular exercise.

Northern Ireland is made up of a diverse mix of people and as the population ages, so the needs of everyone must be taken into account. Today the ‘See me, hear me, know me’ guidelines are being launched with the aim of supporting the needs of older lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in nursing, residential, and day care settings and those who live at home and receive domiciliary care.

Accidents are the UK's biggest killer of children, with under-fives being most at risk in the home. As part of the first ever ‘Family Safety Week’, which is running throughout this week, the Public Health Agency (PHA) is reminding everyone about the dangers of blind cords and is working in partnership with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) to deliver a series of training sessions across Northern Ireland over coming weeks which aim to reduce the risks that blind cords pose.

Tuberculosis (TB) has increased in Northern Ireland in recent years. Ahead of World TB Day on 24 March, the Public Health Agency (PHA) has released the latest figures which show that in 2013 in Northern Ireland there were 74* cases of TB reported. Despite this figure being down from 2012 when 87 cases were reported, tuberculosis is still proving a threat.