CARDI-BACK, part of the Move4Life programme, is funded by County Durham Sport and is an eight-week programme at community venues across the county.

It is aimed at supporting people with back pain and reducing their risk of cardiovascular disease and type two diabetes by encouraging exercise and fitness.

Cardi-Back includes three key components: education, exercising with a Swiss ball and cardiovascular circuit training.

Neil Sleeman head physiotherapist and owner of Coxhoe-based Platinum Physiotherapy and Personal Training, who developed the programme, says: “We have been running Cardi-Back since 2010 with more than 400 participants to date. We noticed there were a lot of carers inquiring and subsequently taking part.

“Clearly, there were many carers across County Durham who were putting themselves physically at risk by selflessly caring for others.”

Sarah Douglas, commissioner for carer services at Durham County Council, says there have been excellent results “with those taking part experiencing real health benefits, a social opportunity with those in similar circumstances, and a general improvement in their quality of life”.

  • For more information about Cardi-Back, contact info@platinumpppt.co.uk or call 0191-372-9821.
  • For details of initiatives available to carers in County Durham, contact admin@dccarers.org or call 03000-051213.
  • Move4Life details are at countydurhamsport.com