As Heather O'Neill will tell you, there are only so many ways you can spread the message of five portions of fruit and veg a day' without sounding like a broken record.

Thankfully, the New Addington health visitor seems to have stumbled across a novel way of doing just that by using her arts degree to hammer home the importance of healthy living.

Heather has been a health visitor for Croydon Primary Care Trust (PCT) for the past 14 years and has always found it challenging to advise people about healthy living without it sounding like a lecture.

However, after graduating with an art degree two years ago, Heather's creative approach of using art to educate people on the values of good health has proved surprisingly successful.

She says: "We go along to meet with community groups, for instance children's playgroups or mother and child groups in New Addington to educate people on a range of subjects to do with keeping healthy.

"These range from telling people about the benefits of eating five portions of fruit and veg a day, exercising, the dangers of obesity, the risks of not having the MMR vaccination, advice on oral hygiene and the importance of wearing sun cream.

"By using art, getting people to draw and paint things associated with these subjects, it helps to get the message across.

"For instance if a child paints a bright picture of fruit and vegetables, he or she might take it home, show their mum who then might put it up on the wall on display. There you have a constant reminder about the benefits of healthy eating right there on your wall."

Heather believes there is a close association between getting people to overcome their fear of art and getting them to get over their reluctance to make positive changes to their health.

"I find that quite a lot of people say they can't do it. It's that sort of mentality," adds Heather. They can't draw or they can't eat a piece of fruit. I will then discuss changing their attitudes. That perhaps they can draw, which boosts their confidence and makes them think perhaps they will try a piece of fruit or go and buy some bananas.

"And it's by making those small changes like this, bit by bit, they will be making gradual changes to their lifestyle.

"Most of the time people benefit simply from having someone chat to them about it. It improves their self-esteem that someone like myself has taken the time to talk to them."

For Heather, a married mum-of-three who lives in Westerham, the initiative is the chance for her to combine the jobs she loves with her passion for art.

She adds: "It's a chance for me to really be creative and use things I learnt with my art degree to educate people. It's a real personal interest for me and I love being a part of it."