A new health improvement scheme aimed at families is being launched this month.

The Pembrokeshire Family Challenge aims to encourage families to adopt a healthier lifestyle by improving the food they eat and the amount of exercise they take.

The scheme is open to all families in the county who have at least one child under the age of 12.

Clr. Sian James, cabinet member for health and well-being, said too often people were daunted by the thought of big lifestyle changes when they often needed to take just a few small steps towards an healthier lifestyle.

"This project supports and encourages families as a whole to make those small manageable changes, which can make a big difference," she said.

Under the new scheme, which is managed by Health Challenge Pembrokeshire, a personal lifestyle coach will work with individual families to formulate a 12-week programme of home-based activities aimed at improving diet and levels of physical activity.

The part-time coach will advise and support families and there will also be opportunities for families to take part in joint activities with other families in the scheme.

The project follows a highly successful pilot scheme, which ran with 10 families last year.

All those who took part in the pilot scheme saw benefits in terms of weight loss and fitness levels as well as improvements in blood pressure and aerobic capacity.

They also found they spent more time together having fun as a family.

Health Challenge Pembrokeshire is a partnership of organisations working together to improve health and well-being in the County including Pembrokeshire County Council, and the Pembrokeshire Local Health Board.

The Family Challenge project is funded by the National Lottery through the Big Lottery fund as part of the Way of Life initiative.