An event to help people with asthma moves to a new venue in Hamilton today.

Open Airways will mark World Asthma Day at the Victoria Park bandstand today, when information and support tools will be handed out from 11.30am to 2pm.

It comes after a two-year hiatus owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

A spokeswoman said: “If you have asthma, please join us on Tuesday where we will be offering asthma education, and free giveaways of pillows, spacers and microfibre cloths, while supplies last.

“Come and enjoy entertainment provided by some of our school students.”

She explained that World Asthma Day is celebrated around the world on the first Tuesday in May.

The spokeswoman said: “The aim of this annual event is to promote awareness about asthma.

“Globally, approximately 1,000 people die every day from asthma, and sadly most of these deaths could have been prevented if the person had had access to the correct inhalers and the knowledge to know when and how to use their inhalers.

“With the correct treatment anyone with asthma can lead a full and active life.”

People were invited to meet Open Airways volunteers to talk about treatments and were asked to bring their inhalers to the event.

The spokeswoman added: “Too many people rely on Ventolin to treat their asthma, and research shows that the more Ventolin a person uses the greater their chance of an asthma flare-up or attack.

“Ventolin is for emergency treatment only and should not be used for daily treatment; using Ventolin more than two times a week shows a lack of asthma control.”

To mark World Asthma Day, the charity distributed bundles of information for school pupils.

They included a voucher for a free pillow for each primary student on the 2021-22 school asthma registry, which is a joint effort by Open Airways, the Department of Health, the Ministry of Education and the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital’s Asthma Education Centre.

The spokeswoman said: “All students with asthma should add their names to this annual registry so that our team can better assist in distributing vital asthma information and care.”

* For more information about the charity, visit www.openairways.com