NEARLY150 people took advantage of a day of free 'mini NHS health checks' at Templars Square.

Shoppers took 10 minutes to each get a 'road test' designed to spot early warnings of stroke, kidney and heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and dementia.

The event, co-ordinated by Oxfordshire County Council and held on Saturday, February 2, could now be repeated.

Read again: Find out if you are at risk of stroke with a five-minute check

Templars Square manager Owen Acland said it was a 'brilliant example of the shopping centre connecting with its community and encouraging people to look after themselves'.

NHS health checks are funded by Oxfordshire County Council’s public health team, which exists to improve the health of local people and protect them from preventable health issues.

Everyone who signed up for the mini checks was entered into a raffle to win shopping centre vouchers worth £50 or a month’s free membership at the centre’s Feel Fit Gym.

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Since 2013 more than 190,000 health check invitations have been sent out in Oxfordshire, with 95,485 taking the offer up.

They are free and available to anyone aged between 40 and 74 who has not already been diagnosed with a cardiovascular condition.

Your GP surgery will automatically send out invitations once every five years, but if you haven’t had one, or didn’t respond to the invite, contact your surgery and make an appointment.

The full check will take around 20 minutes:

• You will be asked some simple questions about your family history, whether or not you smoke and how much alcohol you drink

• Your height, weight, sex, ethnicity and age will be recorded

• Your blood pressure will be taken

• A simple blood test will check your cholesterol level

• Your body mass index (BMI) will be calculated. BMI is a measure of whether you're a healthy weight for your height.

• Your level of risk of developing a cardiovascular condition (i.e. stroke, kidney and heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and dementia) will be calculated

For further information about free NHS health checks visit oxfordshire.gov.uk/nhshealthcheck