Choose You, a free-to-access service designed to support residents in improving their health and wellbeing, has been launched in Bedford Borough.
Whether it’s quitting smoking, managing weight, or making lasting lifestyle changes, Choose You offers expert support through self-referral or healthcare professional referrals.
Choose You has been developed in collaboration by Bedford Borough Council, Central Bedfordshire Council and Milton Keynes City Council.
Choose You focuses on helping individuals improve their health by supporting habit changes for smoking cessation and weight management. It offers personalised guidance, group sessions, and self-help tools to suit various lifestyles. The smoking service provides expert advice with a structured plan, while the healthy weight programme offers adults 12 weeks of support for lasting improvements to health. Families can also access one-to-one support for healthy weight management.
Whether it's walking up a hill without stopping for breath, keeping up with children or grandchildren, feeling more confident, hearing from your doctor that your blood pressure is normal, or finally breaking the habit of a morning cigarette, Choose You can help individuals reach their goals in a way that works for them.
Recognising that life’s challenges – such as stress, finances, or family commitments – can impact people’s health journey, Choose You offers flexible, pressure-free support at a comfortable pace, with signposting to additional services when needed.
Councillor Martin Towler, Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods and Communities: Health and Wellbeing said; “Good health is the foundation of a fulfilling life.
“Choose You is here to help people take that first step, whether it's stopping smoking, managing weight, or improving overall wellbeing. It is a free-to-access service, offering tailored support to help make goals achievable.
“We’re proud to be working together across councils to ensure that no one has to make these changes alone.”
Vicky Head, Director of Public Health, said: “Choose You makes getting support easier. Whether it’s quitting smoking, losing weight, or making other lasting changes, the service offers compassionate and practical support to build healthy habits. Through this innovative partnership between three local authorities, Choose You empowers those who need it most, offering everything from self-help resources to one-on-one coaching and support programmes.”