November 2008 £2.75Sport and fitness for today’s youth

Former Premiership footballer, Neil Redfearn, believesevery young player deserves a second chance. He got hisat the age of 32, captaining Barnsley football club intheir historic Premiership season, finishing as the divi-sion’s highest scoring midfielder. Now he is turning hisattention to helping kids who may have been shown thedoor by professional clubs and academies through hisnew football development agency, Pro FD. He hopes tohelp them revive their dreams of a career in footballwhilst also preparing them for life in Civvy Street shouldthey not make the grade. Full story, Page 3

By Lyndsey Smith

FOOTBALL is playing its part inkeeping youngsters off the streetsand out of trouble through a series ofskills programmes.

The government backed UnityProject, a national youth leadershipscheme, brings together youngstersfamiliar with gang rivalries andpitches them against rivals on thepitch.

Morris Samuels leads the project inNottingham and using the nationalSports Leaders Award (SLA) pro-grammes, youngsters can also devel-op key life skills such as organisation,communication and self-confidence.

Morris wants his youngsters to doeven more than put down the gunsand reject the gangs. He wants themto volunteer in the community andrun further football and sports pro-grammes for young people.

He said: “We take something theyoungsters love and use it to moti-vate them to attend educational ses-sions. Many of these boys will comegood, they just need to be shown thelight. In their eyes the football is thelight. In my eyes the education andsocial development is the light.”

The project aims to encourage

young people to play sport together,break down geographical and ethnicbarriers, provide activities supportingyoung people to increase their aspi-rations and educational attainment,tackle anti-social behaviour, reducecrime, and encourage young peopleto volunteer.

Morris has worked with his team formore than five years and says it’sabout changing the way we think andact towards young people.

“Gang culture is very big inNottingham,” he said. “They dividecommunities but through the projectI will have the biggest gang, and thiswill be talented young men who havean education and great prospects fora successful life.

“The SLAs are an excellent tool todevelop the life skills and futureprospects of young people and thisproject can use those to offer a realqualification that can lead to biggerand better things. Things are muchtougher for young people these daysas there are so many negatives likeviolence, drugs and crime. Unity isabout giving out positives, youngpeople united against guns and gangcrime, and sports leaders are helpingus achieve this.”

Football iskeeping kidsoff streets

Cookbookkick offUEFA, the EuropeanCommission and theWorld HeartFederation have joinedforces to help launch acookbook aimed athelping young kids eathealthily.

Some of the world’smost famous foot-ballers includingSteven Gerrard, RuudVan Nistelrooy andThierry Henry havecontributed to the Eatfor Goals! children'scookbook which givesa detailed list of ingre-dients and step-by-step instructions,making it easy for chil-dren to make deli-cious, healthy meals.

The book showcasesthe footballers’ favour-ite healthy dishes andaims to promote themessage that a healthylifestyle is also basedon healthy food.Liverpool and Englandstar Gerrard said: “TheEat For Goals! healthycookbook showsyoung people andlovers of football howto cook and eat likechampions.”

■ Full feature nextissue.

news 3

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A STUDY by the top sporting educa-tional facility in the country hasrevealed that a number of PE teach-ers do not appear to be effectivelypromoting health and physical activi-ty in secondary schools.

Researchers in Loughborough uni-versity’s school of sport and exercisesciences (SSES) have discovered thatdespite being a compulsory part ofthe curriculum, health related exer-cise (HRE) is often marginalised orpoorly delivered in many schools

across England.HRE was introduced as a statutory

component of the NationalCurriculum in 1992 and is designedto encourage a healthy lifestyleamong young people through a vari-ety of sports and physical activities.

However, the study identified a lackof formal guidance on the delivery ofHRE and confusion as to what itactually constitutes. Head researcher,Laura Ward, said: “The limited expe-riences that many teachers had of

health related exercise in their initialteacher training may be a key con-tributor to the narrow views and lim-ited understanding that many had.

“Many PE teachers come from com-petitive sports backgrounds and lackof further training in health relatedareas means teachers aren’t reallyaware of the full range of activitiesthat can achieve the aims of HRE. Fora number of them health and life-long physical activity were areaswhich were absent from their CPD

profiles and as such, they seem to berelying on their own personalphilosophies to guide their practices.

“Even the £18m National PE andSchool Sport CPD programme whichcontains modules for teachers onhealth-based physical education,appears to have limited impact. Ofthe teachers we surveyed, only sevenper cent had accessed this and lessthan half knew about it, which pointsto a lack of awareness of all trainingopportunities.”

Researchers identify lack of formal HRE guidance

By Lyndsey Smith

A NEW football developmentagency is to be set up aimed at giv-ing youngsters the chance tobecome professional footballers.

Pro Football Development, run inconjunction with Salford College,will focus on helping youngstersunder 19 who have been releasedfrom academies or schools ofexcellence at professional or semiprofessional clubs, or who have

just left school.Players will receive professional

coaching, links with clubs, and thechance to play against pro/semi-pro teams, plus the opportunity togain football coaching and aca-demic qualifications whilst receiv-ing individual player developmentand one to one assessments.

The course will be run by directorof football, Neil Redfearn, an expe-rienced A licensed coach, who has

spent 25 years in the professionalgame, racking up over 1,000appearances.

He said: “It is very easy to becomedisillusioned if you don’t quitemake it at the first attempt and itcan be difficult picking yourselfback up. We aim to offer that sec-ond chance with the added benefitof the college link which enables usto incorporate the academic side.

“Football is the key to the door

but by offering academic studies aswell youngsters gain qualificationsas they go along, offering them athird chance if things shouldn’tquite work out.”

A variety of courses are availableto choose from that will run along-side the football development withexpert advice and guidance fromexperienced tutors, and there willbe the opportunity to gain workand coaching experience.

Agency aims to help kids achieve professional goals

Schools failing theirpupils claims BlackExclusive by Louise Cordell

SCHOOLS are failing their pupils bypreventing them from taking part incompetitive sport, according toOlympian Roger Black.

Britain’s best ever 400m runner hascriticised schools for removing thecompetitive element from sports,claiming that it is failing to preparechildren for the real world.

He said: “Sport means very little ifthere is no competition and eliminat-ing it is doing kids a great disservice.

“Schools are failing, because in try-ing to protect children from losing weare wrapping them in cotton wool -and life isn’t like that.”

Roger says schools should redefinewhat winning or losing is and insteadreward participants for the effort they

have put in or their personalimprovements.

He has already worked with aschool in London creating a leaguetable and a points scoring systemwhich allows every pupil to earnpoints for their team regardless ofhow successful they were – as long asthey take part.

He added: “It is easy for me to saythese things, because I loved sportand was never the kid picked last inPE.

“I know how hard it must be, butthat is not an excuse and it is the fail-ure of parents and teachers for notencouraging the kids to take partregardless of their ability.

“If kids don’t get the experience oflosing then they will never have theincentive to improve.”

Roger also pointed out that the cur-rent preoccupation with leaguetables and exam results means thatthe time left for sport is decreasing,when it should be doing the oppo-site.

He added: “It depends on what yousee as an education - putting youngpeople on the path to health and fit-ness could do more for them thanany amount of exams.

“I don’t expect my children’s schoolto take responsibility for their fitness,I think that is my job as a parent.

“But I do expect them to recognisethe importance of sport and providepupils with the time and opportuni-ties they need to pursue it.

“It has to be a priority but there isstill a long way to go.”

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By Lyndsey Smith

ABOUT 5,000 schools and colleges across theUK celebrated the handing over of theParalympics, and marked the start of a London2012 education programme.

Some 3,000 institutions are registered directlywith the London 2012 Organising Committee(LOCOG), while an estimated 2,000 wereinvolved in events run by local authorities,sports clubs, leisure centres and culturalgroups.

Sebastian Coe, chair of LOCOG said: “Ourvision is to inspire children and young peoplethrough the London 2012 Games.

“Our athletes at the Paralympic and OlympicGames have certainly done this and their val-ues are an integral part of our work with youngpeople through schools and colleges.

“By motivating young people and capturingtheir imagination we can help them to fulfilltheir potential, and create a legacy that willcontinue long after the games have ended.”

The festivities gave children and young peo-ple their first taste of the creativity and inspira-tion that will be found throughout the domes-tic education programme called ‘Get Set’ whichlaunched in September.

The interactive website supports children andyoung people in learning about the games and

there will be eight key themes in the project –internationalism, communication, collabora-tion and citizenship, practical learning, PE andsport, enterprise, sustainability and regenera-tion, culture and creativity, and healthy, activelifestyles.

ParalympicsGB chief executive, Phil Lanesaid: “It is fantastic to see the London 2012organising committee committed to inspiring ayounger generation through the ideals andachievements of Britain’s Paralympians and thespirit of the Paralympic movement as a whole.

“If we are to remain a leading nation in theworld of Paralympic sport we must ensure thateducation really challenges young people, andthis initiative, working together withParalympicsGB, will help achieve that ambi-tion.”

Children and young people will work withtheir practitioners to develop ideas, projects,goals and targets which are relevant to theirplace of learning and build on existing nationaland local objectives.

Jim Knight, minister for schools added: “TheOlympic and Paralympic spirit can be hugelymotivating, symbolising people using theirabilities to achieve at the highest level.

“My department is delighted to be workingwith LOCOG to realise the educational poten-tial of the 2012 Games.”

Bid to inspirechildren through2012 Olympics

Sebastian Coe

Volunteers meet footballing legendon Coronation Street cobblesYOUNG volunteers were presentedwith the opportunity of a lifetimewhen they met a famous footballinglegend.

The kids, who are part of thenationwide Co-operativeStreetGames Young Volunteersscheme, enjoyed a game of footballwith former Manchester United andEngland captain, Bryan Robson, OBE,on the famous Coronation Street cob-bles.

The volunteers, currently beingtrained in a variety of sport and com-munity leadership skills, were invitedto visit the set and play a game offootball with the soap’s younger castmembers.

Peter Marks, chief executive of theco-operative, feels the day will havehad a big impact on the young volun-teers.

He said: “They had the time of theirlives and having Bryan Robson turnup to meet them has really inspiredthem and I have no doubt it will havea lasting effect.”

Jane Ashworth, chief executive ofStreetGames, added: “The day was afantastic experience and gave theyoungsters a real buzz to take back totheir communities.

“It also showed them just howimportant the work they do is to thecommunities they support, and how

much they are appreciated. “I would personally like to thank

them for all their hard work and forhelping to spread the message thatsport really benefits young people’slives.”

StreetGames is the only nationalcharity dedicated to developing sportin disadvantaged communities andmaking sport accessible to all youngpeople regardless of their income orsocial circumstances.

Coronation Street’s AlanHalsall (aka Tyrone Dobbs)and BryanRobson OBE with the Co-oper-ative StreetGames young vol-unteers, from left, JemmaMacgill, Mark Allen, MarkLatham and, Volunteer Co-ordinator, Andre Costello.

Funding availableFOLLOWING on from the success ofSummer of Sport 2008, which increased thenumber of Londoners participating insporting activities, Winter of Sport fundingis now available.

The funding aims to help clubs and com-munity groups provide free sport, physicalactivity and coaching opportunities, in therun up to the 2012 Olympic and ParalympicGames and beyond.

The funding application process openedlast month and grants of up to £1,000 areavailable for community groups and sportsclubs, with money available for all sportsand physical activities, ranging from sportscoaching sessions to sports festivals andsports club open days.

New qualificationZIGZAG’S ActivKids is offering a nationallyrecognised qualification designed toinspire adults working with children.

The company has become an approvedtraining and assessment centre for CentralYMCA Qualifications and will deliver theCYQ level two certificate in instructinghealth related exercise for children.

ActivKids founder James Porter said:“CYQ offers a diverse range of health andfitness qualifications which are based on more than 20 years of industry expertise, so we are delighted to have been accepted as one of theirapproved training providers.”

The new status also coincides with thelaunch of ActivKids new training frame-work, which delivers leadership awards andchild behaviour management workshops.

news 5

Dr Miriam Stoppard,4Children CE Anne

Longfield and a representative from the

Young Mayor ofLewisham’s office

By Louise Cordell

YOUNG people with little access tohealth and fitness facilities are beingsupported by a new campaign fromthe charity 4Children.

The Make Space for Health schemewill deliver a programme of teenagehealth advice and activities throughyouth centres and after school clubs.

It will also aim to bring together allthe organisations responsible forchildren's health in a local area tomake sure all community activitiesare coordinated.

Anne Longfield, 4Children CE, said:“Fitness isn’t part of many youngpeople’s daily routine and the teenyears are vital as bad habits can beset for life, leading to long term prob-lems.

“So we wanted to set up a fun andappealing programme, providinghealth and lifestyle programmes toencourage teenagers to make positivechanges.”

The scheme was launched at thebeginning of July and is currentlybeing piloted in three path finderareas, Essex, Leeds and York, beforebeing rolled out nationwide.

It is made up of four modules onhealthy eating, encouraging physicalactivity, addressing mental and emo-

tional health and looking at personalhealth.

Anne added: “Kids tell us that theywant to get healthier and more activeand that they want to go to gyms butage restrictions or expense can stopthem.

“So we are aiming to help providelots of access to sports activities andgym equipment, basically all thethings you want as an adult, but as ateen you sometimes can’t get accessto.”

Specialist training will be offered tothe youth workers involved, allowingthem to continuing to use the newteaching methods as part of theirlong term work.

Anne added: “We are aiming towork alongside schools to reach thechildren.

“However, we have found that kidsdon’t always feel confident abouttalking about health issues in schoolas they can be worried they will bejudged or that the information will be ‘held against them’ in someway.

“Also school sport tends to takeplace in a more traditional and for-mal setting, whereas we are focusingon fun activities and a more lifestylebased approach.

“This is why we are using youth

workers, as they are different fromteachers and parents – more accessi-ble and not as intimidating.

“It is all about getting them access toindividuals who can inspire and moti-vate them.”

Charity campaign aims todeliver healthy access

news6

By Lyndsey Smith

UNIVERSITY netball teams in the UKare to benefit following a new spon-sorship deal between Kukri Sportsand British Universities & CollegesSport (BUCS).

The three-year relationship will giveKukri sponsorship rights across theBUCS netball programme and offermembers and university teamsaccess to an exclusive online deal topurchase official netball team kits ata discounted rate.

Pamela Cookey, England interna-tional and university of Bath netballplayer said: “It’s great that universitynetball is recognised by Kukri as pro-viding players with a competitive,high quality and enjoyable structure.

“My time at university, and playingin BUCS leagues, has helped me growinto the player that I am today and Ibelieve the support that Kukri willnow provide can only strengthen theopportunities for other universityplayers.”

During the 2008/09 season over85% of BUCS member universitieswill compete in the Kukri BUCS net-ball programme.

This encompasses 351 teams, 55leagues, five conference up competi-tions, and a championship and tro-phy final event held at the BUCSChampionships in Sheffield nextyear.

The investment will also supportBUCS in improving student access tocoaching and umpiring netball quali-fications and provide start-up costs

for a new netball ‘Home Nations’event which will take place every twoyears as a showpiece event for theseason.

Karen Rothery, chief executive atBUCS said: “Netball is the biggestfemale team sport in the UK, andKukri’s support will help us provideadditional investment.

“This will help develop new compe-titions, improve participation evenfurther, and give our members access

to high-quality and professional kit atreasonable prices.”

Laura Thomas, director, Kukri GBLtd added: “We are very excited topartner BUCS and sponsor the net-ball programme.

“The programme grooms futureinternationals and gives athletes theopportunity to study and play at avery high standard, and we verymuch look forward to seeing somehigh quality netball.”

Karen Rothery

University teams netnew sponsorship deal

Dance matteams putbest footforward ...THE UK’s first national dancemat competition has been held, with teams from across the country competing in the multiplayertournament.

The event showcased some ofBritain’s most talented young-sters, aged 8 to 16 years, whomade up teams from schoolsand leisure centres.

Winners on the day were fromHowden Clough Girls Schooland Batley Leisure Centre, andKieran Murphy, marketingdirector of SHOKK, who organ-ised the event, said: “It was fan-tastic to see all the young peo-ple enjoying themselves as thetournament was put togetherfor their benefit rather than tojust showcase the product tothe industry.

“Considering that girls aged12 -15 years have been tradi-tionally a difficult group to tar-get, we have really been makingan impact with this demo-graphic.

“The aim was to further raisethe profile of dance mats as aform of physical activity and toprovide youngsters with anopportunity to showcase theirtalent in a competitive environ-ment.”

Fundingstreamfor clubsFUNDING is now available for clubswho are hoping for future develop-ments.

Get Up and Go – Clubs is a limitedfunding stream available from PRO-ACTIVE West London and it is opento NGBs and clubs.

Aimed at supporting club develop-ment projects within West London itwill contribute to the target ofincreasing participation in sport byone per cent.

Funding will be considered for proj-ects meeting more than one of thefollowing criteria, increase the num-ber of clubmark or NGB accreditedclubs in West London, increase thenumber of school club links, increaseparticipation within the club envi-ronment, demonstrate that any fund-ing given will contribute to the sus-tainability of the club/organisationin the longer term and partnershipfunding contributing to the project.

Organisations can apply for up to£1,000.

YOUTH teams in Scotland are toreceive a fitness boost following alink up between one of the country’sfootball clubs and a health clubchain.

Bannatyne’s health club inDumfries, has teamed up with Queenof the South FC to deliver fitness teststo their under 13s, 14s and 15s youthteams. These will include testing theplayers’ sit up and press up abilities,along with their weight, height andlung capacity being recorded andmonitored using peak flow testing.

Colin Macgillivray, general manager

of Dumfries health club said:“Focusing on living a healthy lifestyleshould begin at a young age.

“These players, if they want toachieve at the highest level, have tounderstand what they have to do toimprove their wellbeing, especially atthis stage in their lives while theirbodies are still developing. Queen ofthe South’s exploits in the league andin Europe has brought a real buzz tothe area and we are proud to beworking with the club, maybe withsome of the stars of the future.”

Bannatyne’s will also offer the play-

ers nutritional advice from its team offitness professionals and will bemonitoring the players throughoutthe season, helping them in their fit-ness development.

Andy Irving, Queen of the South FCyouth coach added: “The fitness testsat Bannatyne’s are part of our supportprogramme for the players. Thisgives them more than just footballskills. It also helps them focus ontheir general healthy lifestyles andunderstand how their wellbeing caninfluence their performance.”

Queen of theSouth captain,Jim Thomson(left) overseesthe fitness testsof (centre left toright) GregorAnderson (aged14), Greg Swan(aged 13) andCraig Neill (aged12), carried outby Bannatyne’sColinMacgillivray(right)

Link-up set to boost Scottish youth teams

news 7

Crime proceedsto fund girlsport projectsBy Lyndsey Smith

PROCEEDS of crime are to be used tofund a series of initiatives aimed atencouraging more girls to play, coachand volunteer for football.

Justice secretary, Kenny MacAskill,has announced that the Scottish gov-ernment has brokered agreementwith the Scottish FA to provide£297,000 over the next three years tosupport four football related projects.

The latest phase of the CashBack forCommunities scheme will be used toincrease participation in girls’ foot-ball and ensure that all those girlswho want to play the sport on a for-mal and regular basis can do so.

Kenny said: “Girls’ and women'sfootball is the fastest growing sport inthe world. Already in Scotlandaround 27,000 females are playingour national game.

“Football can play a big part indiverting young people from gettinginvolved in crime and antisocialbehaviour.

“That is why this government ishelping the Scottish FA to inspire andattract large numbers of female youthplayers, coaches and volunteers tothe beautiful game.

“Football is a game for girls as wellas boys. In addition to helping thelads, we want to help the ladettes findsomething better to do with their

lives. We want to show our youngpeople that there is more to life thandrink, drugs and offending andCashBack is giving us the way ofdoing just that.”

The scheme includes linkingschools to the 12 women's premierleague clubs, a series of roadshows tomake girls aware of playing opportu-nities, and the development of anational programme.

Gordon Smith, Scottish FA chiefexecutive said: "Football is a fantastictool for educating young people andhelping them to develop into bettercitizens, and we're committed to cre-ating and maintaining structures thatwill allow as many girls to play organ-ised football as possible.

"We share many aims and objec-tives with the CashBack forCommunities programme, and thisfunding will help us, not only to nur-ture the future stars of our women'snational team, but to focus on devel-oping heath, wellbeing, attitude andconfidence at all levels of participa-tion."

Sheila Begbie, head of girl's andwomen's football at the Scottish FAadded: “We are delighted with thissupport. It is really important todevelop the club structures to ensurethat we can provide opportunities foryoung girls and women at all levels inthe clubs.”

SPORTS for a pound are being organised across Mendip aspart of a 10-week healthy lifestyles project.

Youngsters aged between six and 16 have being invitedby the district council to take part in a range of sports aspart of its Street Sports scheme which started at the end ofSeptember.

The scheme will be led by qualified coaches from thecounty-wide Somerset Active Sports Programme (SASP),and it is aimed at encouraging sports enthusiasts to usethe wide range of sports facilities across the town.

Cllr Ron Forrest, Mendip District Council’s portfolioholder for community, said: “People of all ages shouldhave access to and be encouraged to take part in a varietyof sports.

“It’s even more important that young people have proj-ects targeted for them and have facilities available toensure they lead healthy lifestyles from a young age.

“The council is keen to encourage more people to leadmore active lives, and we will continue to coordinateschemes like this across the district so that everyone hasan opportunity to take up activities they may not normal-ly have access to.”

The sports sessions will take place weekly on Mondays,Wednesdays and Fridays and those wanting to take partcan just turn up as there is no booking required.

‘Sports for a pound’ across town

Mendip District Council sports officer Alex Stephens promotes the£1 Street Sports scheme

A NEW website has been launchedby the Youth Sport Trust to assistschool sports partnerships.

The SSP Enhance online area canbe found on the YST’s website in theSchool Sport Partnership area of

School Sport Xchange.It is the new look package of edu-

cation and training support for theSSP infrastructure which will growto become the one-stop-shop ofinformation relating to all infra-

structure knowledge and skill devel-opment, which is provided by theYST. It will be updated with coursematerials, best practice informationand shared experiences from thenetwork.

New website launched by Youth Sport Trust

Handovercelebratedin PlymouthBy Lyndsey Smith

PUPILS in Plymouth celebrated theParalympic handover with a rowingmachine relay, bidding to notch up147,000 metres.

Youngsters from eight schoolsworked so well that the target wasraised to 200,000 metres halfwaythrough the event, and even this wassmashed with a final total of 262,000.

Pete Grainger, principal of JohnKitto community college said: “We aredelighted to have been involved in thehandover day.

“We believe that encouragingyoungsters of all abilities to getinvolved in sport is very important asit can be key to promoting a healthylifestyle.”

Non-disabled and disabled pupils,sports leaders, sports developmentofficers, partnership developmentmanagers and representatives fromActive Devon, Amateur RowingAssociation (ARA), English FederationDisability Sport (EFDS), SportEngland, Team South West and TeamDevon all took part in the handover.

Jim Clarke, regional director SportEngland South West added: “What aninspiration it was to see all the youngathletes rowing so well and to reachsuch a fantastic cumulative total.

“The competitive sport element wascertainly alive and kicking inPlymouth and lets hope we see thattalent fully developed and encour-aged as we head towards 2012.”

news8

By Lyndsey Smith

A LEADER’S uniform has beengiven to youngsters at schoolsin Northumberland to show-case their enthusiasm andcommitment to fitness.

Pupils who completed theyoung sports leaders trainingcourse will now wear t-shirts,Sports Leaders UK lanyards,and whistles.

Andy Brown, physical educa-tion and school sport consult-ant, Northumberland CountyCouncil, believes this is a greatreward for their commitment.

He said: “The uniforms indi-cate they were part of anorganised and trained team ofyoung leaders, supporting oth-

ers in engaging in positivesport within their school andSSP.

“Wearing t-shirts displayingthe logos of both SportsLeaders UK , which is thetraining award relevant to theirrole, and NorthumberlandHealthy Schools, who providedfunding and support, showedother pupils, staff, and familymembers the significance oftheir work.”

Northumberland HealthySchools, and the SSP’s jointlytrained over 150 Key Stage 3pupils as young sports leaderslast year and have rolled outthe awards to middle schoolsthis year.

The training allows pupils,between nine and 13, to workwith younger children, encour-aging fitness and sport.

Angela Parsons, who ledtraining in the BlythBedlington Partnership, said:“The schools and studentsinvolved have really benefited,and feedback from pupils andstaff, supported by the leadersat lunchtimes and at festivals,has been highly complimenta-ry.

“The uniforms have been abonus as the staff and studentslove them as they build selfesteem and give their role ahigh and visible profile andcreate a sense of belonging.”

Uniform for young sports leaders in Northumberland

Research reveals run and skip linkINTERACTIVE fitness equipmentoffers a comparable work out to run-ning and skipping, according to newresearch.

A study by researchers at theUniversity of Massachuetts inBoston found that the interactivegames – played on ZigZag’sSportwall, DDR dance mats, CybexTrazer and other computer-basedequipment – elicited a cardiovascu-lar training response commonlyassociated with activities such asrunning hard or jumping rope.

Dr. Kyle McInnis, researcher, said:“Kids don’t associate the exercisesessions as being hard work, butrather think of it as play.

“Heart rates were high, but theirperceived levels of exertion weremodest, resulting in longer exercisetimes and more calories burnedthan we typically expect comparedto more traditional exercise when performed by kids who areunfit.”

Researchers have received severalresearch grants to study the impact

of interactive technology in promot-ing physical activity and healthyweight in kids and teens from low-income neighbourhoods in Boston.

The latest research aimed to docu-ment the relative increase in energyexpenditure above resting betweenthe various forms of ‘active gaming’and to quantify the potential impacton energy balance in children agednine to 12.

The children took part in a ten-week, 20-session ExerGaming pro-gramme and initially given three

sessions to become familiar with thegames. After three sessions, theenergy cost of gaming was measuredby indirect calorimetry.

Fergus Ahern, director of ZigZagsaid: “The research clearly showsthat ExerGaming has the potential toincrease physical activity and have afavourable influence on energy bal-ance.

“The children enjoyed the activitiestoo, particularly the Sportwall, DDRdance mats and walking.”

Youngsters show off the new uniform

By Mary Ferguson

THE manager of an independent gymin Sheffield has reported a massiveincrease in the number of young peo-ple training at the club.

Kay Blackburn, who has managedThe Max Fitness Centre for 11 years,told Future Fitness: “I don’t knowwhere they have all come from.

“We have a few members over 40,then the rest are under 25 – thereseems to be nothing inbetween.”

The gym is located close to SheffieldUniversity, and students make uparound 30 per cent of the club’smembership.

During the summer months whenthey go back home, they still keep onpaying but the gym falls a lot quieter.

At the same time though, many ofthose who visit the area just for thesummer buy one-off monthly passesfor £28, meaning that revenue-wise,the summer months are the mostprofitable for the club.

Kay said: “The club has expanded alot since I started here 11 years ago,

both in terms of space and member-ship.

“And quite a lot of our membershave been here since the beginning.People see us almost as their ’local’,everyone knows each other and a lotof them just pop in for a coffee andchat, even if they aren’t training.”

Above the gym, and owned by thesame company, is a children’s nurs-ery. And in the evenings, the area isconverted into a studio for group fit-ness classes – which include boxer-cise, aerobics and Arabic dance.

Kay said the gym keeps going purelyby word of mouth and that otherforms of marketing just don’t workfor them.

She added: “Even though we are offthe main road, people talk and mostof our new memberships come fromreferrals.

“We all have nights out together,and even go on day trips, and that’swhy people keep coming back - it’sthe friendly atmosphere you just can’tfind in the larger gyms.”

More young peopletraining at Kay’s club

Kay Blackburn

By Lyndsey Smith

A GOLFING student has been cele-brating after being the first lady toplay under par at Laceby Manor golfclub.

Holly Clyburn, pictured above, ofthe Grimsby Institute golf academytallied a gross score of 69, four underpar of the course average, whilstcompeting in The Grimsby Institutegolf challenge.

Holly, who plays off +1, has alreadyachieved both national and interna-tional success being a member of theEngland ladies’ performance teamand the girls’ home internationals.

Claire Thomson, sports develop-ment officer at the institute said:“Holly is developing into one of the

most talented golfers to emerge fromthis area and all the hard work andeffort that she has put into the gameis now paying off.

“With the continued support fromher family, coaches and the institute,through the golf academy and spon-sorship, I'm sure that one day we willall be watching Holly performing asone of the best in the world.”

Holly has recently scooped theBritish Colleges Sport National teamtitle and has been the county cham-pion for three years running.

She added: “I’m really pleased. I feelthat I played well and stuck to myown game and hopefully I’ll be ableto put in similar performances thefuture.”

First for golf student Holly

Teenagersdance offwith awardsTEENAGERS from Oldburysports college danced away witha host of awards from the ZigZagdance-off at this year’s LeisureIndustry Week.

Youths from the West Midlandsschool received all five titles upfor grabs, to be named player of the day, best scoring team for each track, and best scoring team across all threetracks.

The winning team scored wellinto the 90 per cent range on allthree titles with Nadine Bullock,15, winner of the player of theday award, scoring an astonishing 97.5% on the secondsong.

Sarah Connelly, head of danceat Oldbury said: “The dancemats are an excellent tool to getchildren to exercise, either in acompetitive or non competitiveway.

“All the pupils involved in thecompetition, and using theequipment at LIW, thoroughlyenjoyed themselves.”

11-15 year old dancers battledit out to three tracks of increas-ing difficulty and Fergus Ahern,director of ZigZag added: “Theyoung dancers were very excitedand nervous before entering thecompetition but they had anexcellent time and all have saidthey can’t wait until next year’schallenge!”

boxing10

FORMER heavyweight champion,Frank Bruno, is happy to give hisname to an academy he hopes willgo some way to helping youngstersstay on the straight and narrow.

Frank, who donated the boxingring to the academy, believes onlypositives can come from the pro-gramme.

He said: “Obviously I have givenmy name to the academy as Ibelieve in what the boys are tryingto achieve.

“We have set this up for youngpeople to have the experience oftraining with former champions,enhancing their boxing skills andgoals, and keeping them off thestreets.

“In these days when gangs andknife crime appears so prolific thisis a positive thing that can helpthese kids.

“We are encouraging disciplinein them which will help keep themon the straight and narrow as wellas providing them with an educa-tion, and I personally feel this isgoing to help a number of youngpeople succeed and get on well inlife.

“The kids were very warm andrespectful towards me and thatwill stand them in good stead inthe sport of boxing, a sport thatrequires respect, discipline andfocus.

“The quicker that boxing isrecognised as a discipline, a harddiscipline yes, but nonetheless afocused one, the better. Peopleneed to begin to see the positives.”

“I am looking forward to helpingwith the growth of the academy bydevoting my time helping developthe young people involved with usand hopefully seeing a positivereturn from these kids.

“I will help as much as I canalong the way to ensure that thishappens.”

By Charles Griggs

THE first boxing event in a school inover 60 years was held at the Prioryschool and I found myself as an invit-ed guest in the audience.

Some people thought it was inap-propiate for me to attend, that thesport was too violent, too aggressiveand was encouraging young peopleto beat each other senseless.

They were concerned that the bor-ough commander would be endors-ing a violent sport but this boroughcommander has a different view.

As a new recruit to the police it wascompulsory to participate in ’milling’.This consists of two people puttingon boxing gloves and free fighting ina ring.

I remember entering the ring,gloves tightly laced, confronting a

baying audience and embarking ingladatorial combat of epic propor-tions.

Okay, not quite. But it was exhaust-ing, fun and I didn’t really get hurt,and it taught me something. Ilearned to have confidence in myself,the person I was milling with, and totrust the instructor.

Policing is about preventing crimeand helping to make places safer. Ifwe are really going to make a differ-ence in the future we have to workwith and develop our young peopleto help them become responsibleadults.

Most of the young people thatpolice come into contact with lackself control and self discipline andhave low self esteem and a poor atti-tude.

The Boxing4Schools programmeaims to impact on all of these thingsand to improve health and fitness aswell. When I arrived at the school theexcitement, passion and enthusiasmof the staff was palpable, the atmos-phere in the hall electric.

And what I witnessed was con-trolled, well managed, energetic andobviously fun so why have we waited60 years?

The national newspapers are alwayscommenting on how obese and unfitthe population will be in 20 years butthat won’t apply to the young peopleI saw in the ring. It was a priviledgeto witness the event and I look for-ward to Boxing4Schools contributingto a bright and positive future for ouryoung people.

They are the future and it was great

to be there, demonstrating my sup-port for what will be a great invest-ment for them.

Well done to the Priory school forhaving the courage to be the first.� Charles Griggs is the commander ofBromley police

‘Well done for having the courage to be the first’

Charles Griggs

BOXING4Schools has been a pioneerin aiming to get non contact boxingback onto the national curriculum,and the partnership with the Prioryschool, Bromley has been instrumen-tal, and a great success.

The response from students to non-contact boxing and fitness training hasbeen excellent and now the academyis intended to take the sport to thenext level and provide progression notjust for Priory students but for localboys and girls who are exceeding inthis sport.

It opened in September and allowspost 16 students to enrol onto a for-mal programme of level two or threecurriculum studies as well as receivingten hours of high level personalisedboxing training from professionallyqualified coaches.

Wayne explained how the 12 eliteboxers, currently on the programme,were selected. He said: “The LondonABAE gave us a list of names that wecould possibly access and a list ofpotential students were chosen.

“These were given interviews, physi-cal tests and boxing tests which werequite demanding. But the final twelvechosen weren’t just selected on theirboxing ability, a lot of it was abouttheir attitude.

“This is all important in boxing. It isa sport that demands discipline andfocus but when we gave the kids phys-ical circuits to do they were great andin fact their boxing ability improvedwithin just three weeks.”

The academy is a partnershipbetween Boxing4Schools, the Prioryand the ABAE, and Wayne works veryclosely with the deputy headmaster atthe school, Neil Miller.

Neil believes that the project canonly be a good thing. He said: “Boxingis a great sport but unfortunately itappears to be tainted by this political-

ly correct attitude that it is a sport forthugs. That’s just not true and hope-fully with our work and the success ofour boxers at the Olympics we may beable to move away from this unfairstigma.

“The academy will benefit both thestudents and the pupils that they helpalong the way, and it could also bene-fit them in terms of careers prospectsin the long term.

“The young people involved willhave the opportunity at the end of thetwo year programme to go to universi-ty with the school’s partner university,South Bank, or work in the leisureindustry with the schools partnerleisure provider, Bromley Mytime.Also, of course, if they continue toexcel, there is the opportunity ofLondon 2012.”

Classroom sessions are also held

within the programme which includeteaching students about pre-fightnerves, nutrition, roadwork, andstrategies within the ring along withworking towards BTECS and NVQs ina variety of areas within sport andleisure.

Nick Ware, headteacher at the Priory,added: “The academy is a great devel-opment for the school and is provid-ing great opportunities for the young-sters involved.

“We are packaging their educationaround their training and by 2012 theycould be competing at national level

“This is a unique concept. Athletesare expected to compete at the highestlevel but they need help to do that andthe work that Wayne and the guys aredoing is fantastic. They are passionateand enthusiastic and that rubs off oneveryone else.”

Following the success of Boxing4Schools, founder Wayne Llewellyn saw the opportunityfor progression. This led to the opening of the Frank Bruno Boxing Academy. LyndseySmith found out more ...

How Bruno helpedacademy pack a punch

Frank’s happyto donateboxing ringto academy

Frank Bruno at the academy at Priory school, Bromley

news 11

A BOXING training initiative inLondon, launched to help tacklechildhood obesity, has received avisit from health secretary AlanJohnson.

Fight Fit Training andDevelopment aims to help youngpeople with behavioural problemsturn their lives around with a com-bination of sport and life coaching.

The scheme was set up by FIAmember Martin McKenzie and isbacked by Derek ‘Sweet D’Williams, former European andCommonwealth HeavyweightChampion.

They launched the ‘Fight Fit,Fight Obesity’ project after workingwith over 50 young people aged 16 to 21 from some of themost deprived boroughs inLondon.

Training sessions are run along-side life coaching classes which areused to help the youngsters reachtheir full potential and avoid badhealth and lifestyle choices.

Managing director, MartinMcKenzie, said: “A stimulated bodyand mind is a prerequisite for goodhealth and behavioural change.

“Boxing is a safe way to get rid of

frustration and it gives young peo-ple discipline and focus.

“The professional mentoring andpersonal coaching we provide alsohelps them see that they do haveoptions and that they can and willmake something really positive outof their lives.”

During his visit Mr Johnson com-mented on how important grass-roots initiatives like this are fortackling the obesity problem andpraised Fight Fit for inspiring kidswho had often not had the beststart in life.

HealthsecretaryAlanJohnsonMP withDerekWilliamsandMartinMcKenzieof FightFit

Boxing initiative fights obesity

Bid to get kidsplaying moreA £36m project has been launched toget more children playing sports out-side of school hours.

The three year Sport Unlimited pro-gramme, run by Sport England, willtarget 900,000 11-19 year olds andoffer less traditional sports likedodgeball, snowboarding andAmerican football.

It has already been successfullypiloted in 12 areas and will now befully rolled out across the country,with 4,000 new sporting projectsbeing set up. One of the pilots sawActive Norfolk survey 25,000 youngpeople to find out exactly what sportsthey really wanted to take part in. 44projects were then delivered includ-ing ‘Skiing after school’ – a chance foryoung people from South Norfolk totry snowboarding and skiing atNorfolk Ski Club.

Making a splashSWIMMERS of all ages piled on themiles last month to help those in perilon the sea.

The swimmers from Eston swim-ming club took part in a sponsoredevent to raise cash for Redcar Lifeboatwith some youngsters setting them-selves the tough target of coveringtwo miles in one hour. The swim wasthe idea of Eston chief swimmingcoach Ann Forrest, who said: "Thelifeboat crew were kind enough tohelp us earlier this year, and this wasmy way of saying thank you.”

news12

By Lyndsey Smith

PRIMARY school pupils are beingpaired with professional clubs topromote rugby league to childrenand increase fitness levels.

Matt Birkett, North West regionaldevelopment manager, says theRugby Football League’s nationalcompetition framework offers amodified game at year three, allthe way through to the 13-a-sidegame.

He said: “The opportunity isthere for rugby league to beenjoyed nationally. Professionalclubs run programmes whichinform pupils about the benefits ofhealthy living, anti-bullying, drugawareness and anti-racism, sorugby league fits nicely all the waythrough a child’s education, teach-ing them core values, and it bene-fits the game as a whole as we dis-cover more talent.”

The project sees rugby leaguefestivals, contact, and non contactrugby offered in primary schoolsacross the UK and Matt says theirwork with school sports partner-ships is crucial.

He added: “Our link up with theSSPs is vitally important as we fitwell within their structure, assist-ing them in working towards thefive hour offer.

“The health benefits of rugbyleague are obvious but it can alsoassist with delivery of messageslike anti-bullying and team spirit.

“This is good for the community.

If we get kids interested within theschool curriculum, then routes tocommunity and amateur clubs canonly be beneficial in giving kids anoutside interest and keeping themoff the street.”

Under the scheme, teachers areoffered taster sessions where theyare mentored by club or coachdevelopment officers, assistingand qualifying them in rugbyleague. Resources availableinclude CD Roms, skills drillsbooklets and awards, and coach-ing packs.

Matt Birkett

Rugby clubstry to getkids involved

By Lyndsey Smith

THE CULMINATION of the biggestknock out rugby league tourna-ment in the world saw two teamsbattle it out at Wembley ahead ofthe Challenge Cup final.

Standish High school, Wigan,came out strong victors overPickering School, Hull, in theCarnegie Champion Schools tour-nament, as the year seven boyscompeted in a curtain raiser to StHelens v Hull FC.

Andy Harland, national develop-ment manager for the RFL said:“This year has been tremendousand the competition deserves allthe accolades it gets.

“It is a fantastic concept and thefinals are now a major event in therugby league calendar. We haveseen the competition grow in sizeand stature and I’m confident thatwill only continue into the future.”

Schools from West Yorkshire, EastYorkshire, Cheshire, Merseyside

and Greater Manchester compet-ed, with all other stages played atRAF Uxbridge, London.

All those involved took part in aspecial parade of honour at thecup final with players of the tour-nament named as: girls, year 7,Sophie Green, Holy Cross, year 8,Jodie Wilkinson, Castleford Highschool, year 9, Devon Clegg, NorthHalifax Grammar, and year 10,Kelsey Morgan, Castleford Highschool.

Boys were named as: year 7, LiamMarshall, Standish High School,year 8, Ryan Hampshire, FreestonCollege, year 9, Shaun Pick,Castleford High school, and year10, Jack Pickerill, Airedale Highschool.

The year 11 finals took place ear-lier in the year and more than1,915 schools, 6,780 teams andover 111,232 pupils have takenpart in the tournament over thelast six years.

Standish High schoolcomes out victorious

SCOTTISH justice secretary, KennyMacAskill, had the chance to meetyoungsters benefiting from a neweducation community initiative, runby Rangers Football Club.

Part of a large community educa-tion programme, the study supportcentre is on course to reach the onemillion mark for attendances by theend of 2008, making it one of thelargest programmes of its kind run bya football club in Scotland.

Mr MacAskill said: “Rangers, likeother Scottish football clubs, are wellaware of the support that local com-munities give them and of the influ-ence they in turn can have.

“This project is a great example ofhow clubs can give something back totheir local community, by providing aresource for local youngsters, some ofwhom might otherwise be walkingthe streets or getting up to mischief.

“This is about fostering and improv-ing citizenship and tackling some ofthe real social problems that exist inGlasgow.

“A lot is said and written about theless appealing side of football butschemes like this show that there is agood deal of very positive work beingdone by clubs across the country tocounteract that.”

Kenny MacAskill looks on

Politician meets youngsters

news 13

By Christina Eccles

GYMS should forge stronger linkswith schools to encourage girls toexercise as they get older, accordingto an expert.

YWCA policy development officerLucy Russell said most people theorganisation works with have had abad experience of PE in school whichputs them off exercising once theyleave.

She believes if gyms and schoolsworked more closely with each other,they could encourage girls to likeexercise and the gym environment.

She said: “Gyms could make linkswith schools and offer taster sessionsso that girls could go into the gymenvironment, find out how they workand see they are not scary.

“They also need to make the gym a‘safe’ space – we find a lot of girls likea women-only environment as goingthrough puberty can make them feeluncomfortable about their bodies.

“It is also important to offer differ-ent types of exercise to open theirminds so they know there is more onoffer than for boys to play footballand girls to play netball. Popularalternatives include exercising tomusic, dance or swimming.

“Making a partnership is a commit-ment from both the school and thegym. But for gym owners it is alsoimportant that they are aware of thecurriculum as they cannot just comein and do anything – it needs to meetthe school’s needs.”

The YWCA has 15 centres acrossEngland and Wales which run differ-ent projects to help educate womenfrom disadvantaged communities todiscover the benefits of healthy eat-ing and exercise.� What do you think? Send yourcomments to Christina Eccles at 47Church Street, Barnsley, SouthYorkshire, S70 2AS or email her atce@whpl.net

Gyms should forge strongerlinks with schools – expert

Lucy Russell

Athletic club goes from strength to strength ...DONCASTER Athletic Club has madeit a promotion one, two, three for theKeepmoat Stadium.

The club’s young athletes have fin-ished their season unbeaten and willcompete next year in the NorthernPremier League.

The facilities at the Keepmoat

Stadium have helped take the club’smembership from 200 to more than500 inside 18 months, and the success has led to a number ofyoung athletes being selected to represent South Yorkshire at theEnglish Schools NationalChampionships.

Terry Bailey, of the club said: “Theguys have done fantastically well this season to go undefeated andthey deserve all the accolades possi-ble.”

The Young Athletes’ League pro-vides competition for athletes from11 to 16 years of age.

YOUNG people in Wales are beingsteered away from crime and anti-social behaviour thanks to a new fit-ness facility.

The Engine House community proj-ect in the deprived area of Dowlais isusing ZigZag’s dance mats to addresscommunity problems including ahigh crime rate, drug and alcoholabuse and poor health.

Paul Marshalsea, community proj-ects coordinator, secured the 18thcentury building, together with £1mof funding to refurbish in 2002 andhas created a play area and boughtsports equipment including sportswalls and dance mats.

He said: “The area’s antisocialbehaviour rate has dropped a stag-gering 80 per cent since the EngineHouse Community Project opened.

“We believe that a fence at the topof the cliff is much better than anambulance at the bottom, and localyoung people can now see some lightat the end of the deprived, unem-ployed tunnel.”

The Engine House is now a drop incentre that caters for 23 competitivesporting teams as well as 550 young people and 24 local organisations, seven days and nightsa week.

Fergus Ahern, ZigZag managingdirector, said: “The Engine House isan amazing achievement and Paul isnow providing a huge number of chil-dren in the Dowlais area with a won-derful facility that entertains them,promotes physical activity and, aboveall, keeps them off the streets in a safeenvironment.”

Youngsters steered away from crime

Performance dayAN ELITE performance day for prom-ising young athletes has been deliv-ered in the Midlands in order toshowcase their talent.

Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire(CSW) Sport joined forces withCoventry University, to bring togetheryoung people in a range of activities.

Over 30 pupils, aged 14 – 16, tookpart in sports including canoeing,football, netball and badminton, withpupils who had achieved a minimumof regional standard or above nomi-nated to attend by NationalGoverning Bodies and School Sportpartnerships. A range of workshopswere offered providing the athleteswith information to support theirtraining, including nutrition, psychol-ogy, flexibility, dealing with the mediaand time management.

College repeatTHE SUCCESS of one college’s multiactivities summer course led to arepeat performance last month.

Activities for children aged eightwere given the opportunity to playnumerous sports in the sports halland on the playing fields, atEllesmere college, whilst also swim-ming and playing games in theindoor pool.

Sports centre manager and courseorganiser Chris Rogers said: “Thesummer programme was well sup-ported and we receive lots of positivefeedback and we are now looking atdeveloping the course to involve evenmore varied activities.”

news14

FORMER Arsenal and England foot-ball star, Ian Wright, is calling in theSAS in a bid to get families fit togeth-er.

The footballer is a big advocate ofFit For Sport’s new family scheme,believing this new project will go along way to securing the nation’syoungsters a healthier future.

He said: “It’s more motivating andmore fun when you exercise togetheras you can encourage each other andcelebrate your achievements togeth-er.

“Exercising as a family is more sus-tainable than going it alone. We needto get them enjoying themselves as aunit, with the obvious health bene-fits, and provide a solid healthy foun-dation which will have a knock oneffect to a whole round happier life.We are trying to look at the wholepicture.”

He believes the simple, achievable,sustainable approach (SAS) will helpfamilies see it doesn’t have to be suchhard work keeping fit.

“The main thing is sustainability,”he said. ‘We want to provide a soundbasis incorporating activity, diet andnutrition, and hopefully when people

see how easy it can be they will con-tinue with the program. We believe inSAS, it’s the way to go.”

“We are not telling people what todo, we are asking them. The key isrealistic goals and motivation. Startsomething that is easy to follow.

“No one is saying you can’t have abag of crisps or a burger, I do itmyself. It’s just a case of everything inmoderation.”

“What we want to get across is eatright and do the right amount of fit-ness for yourself. Eat and sleep at theright time and it will happen for you.You will lose weight and become fit-ter.”

Ian admits that when confrontedwith the statistic that only 12 to 16per cent of the population visit thegym he was alarmed.

“They are missing out on a targetaudience,” he said. “Gyms should begetting families together encouragingthem, maybe creating specific timeswhen families can go together.

“People need to be committed tothe cause. My personal commitmentto getting our nation’s families fitterand healthier following SAS lifestylehabit changes, is stronger than ever.

‘I believe with Fit for Sport we canmake a difference, and we need to allwork together keeping the future fit.

“I have loved every minute of being

involved and I will be for years tocome. If people don’t give up onthemselves and are willing to give it atry then we won’t give up on them.”

A UK children’s activities provider has launched a new initiative aimed at encouraging families to participate inexercise together and look at making lifestyle changes as a unit. Lyndsey Smith found out more.

Wrighty calls in theSAS in family objective

Ian Wright

Book boostfor fitterinitiativeA FITTER families book is to belaunched in January to comple-ment Fit For Sports new initia-tive.

Designed to help familiesmake simple changes in theirlifestyle habits the book pro-vides ideas and facts followingthe simple, achievableapproach (SAS), a theme of thecompany.

The book was developed byDean Horridge whilst workingwith former Arsenal andEngland football star, IanWright, on the television pro-gramme Ian Wright’s Unfit Kids.

Dean said: “The idea for thebook was prompted by con-cerns about families fitness andactivity levels, and increasingobesity rates.

“We researched and devel-oped the concept through ourexperiences of working withfamilies, schools and childrenacross the UK and it is all aboutencouraging familes to beactive and have fun in the SASway.”

100,000 copies of FitterFamilies are set to be releasednext year.

By Lyndsey Smith

FIT for Sport, one of the UK’s leadingchildren’s healthy lifestyle activitiesproviders, is turning its focus towardsfamily participation after its continuingsuccess with Fitter Schools.

The company, which launched in1991, thanks to former PE teacherDean Horridge, has already shown itscommitment to helping with children’sfitness, promoting its healthy lifestylesmessage since it was founded.

The activity programme was designedby Dean in an effort to decrease obesitylevels and increase their motivation fora fitter, healthier life and now he feels itis time to expand that further and lookat involving families as a whole.

He said: “We are committed to deliv-ering our promise of keeping the futurefit while educating our children andtheir families to live a healthy lifestyle,and the best way to get children onboard is to commit to changes as afamily.

“Encouraging your child to be physi-cally active everyday works only if youcommit yourself which is what we aretrying to promote.

“We’ve got a major obesity, health and fitness problem in Britain andunless we do something about it now 60 per cent of us will be obese by2050.”

Dean accepts that it can be difficult tocommit but feels once people realisethe benefits it can only get easier.

“Making lifestyle changes can be

challenging. Especially when you’rebusy juggling the demands of daily life.

“But if a family works together andsupports each others efforts you’remore likely to succeed, and then even-tually healthy habits will become rou-tine and you’ll be well on your way to decreasing childhood obesity and improving your familieshealth.

“Committing together and makingsmall healthy lifestyle changes willresult in you becoming a fitter family.

“Kids learn eating and exercise fromtheir parents and they are more likelyto copy what you do than what yousay.”

The Fitter Families programme is notabout losing weight or becomingsuperfit, Dean emphasises. It’s aboutencouraging families.

“The programme is an inclusive andfun platform allowing families tochange their behaviours and actagainst the current weight and obesityissues.

“It is very simple for families to adoptand participate in and it will encouragefamily interaction and togetherness,whilst educating and changing familyperceptions about health and fitness.”

The programme will incorporate a fit-ter families book, roadshow and UKchallenge.

Fit for Sport focuses on the family

news 15

Less than onequarter meetexercise targetsBy Lyndsey Smith

LESS than a quarter of students meetgovernment exercise targets, accord-ing to new research.

The second annual National ActiveStudent Survey (NASS) found lessthan a quarter of the 30,000 respon-dents met the government exercisetarget of 30 minutes three times aweek.

Neil Mosley, project leader, said:“The report could not be more timelyas the higher education sector movesthrough a period of dramatic change.

“It’s a vital tool in understanding theenvironment in which it operates andthe current behaviour of our studentswith regard to participation.

“We will use this as a measure ofour success as well as a means tohelp prioritise activity and resources.”

Students from 148 of the UK’s high-er and further education institutionstook part in the study, which hasbeen developed to compliment theSport England Active People survey.

The survey seeks to provide a clearpicture of participation in sport byUK students in higher education.

It also aims to establish benchmarkfigures on a national, regional and

individual establishment level forfacility usage, student representationin competitive sports, general studentactivity levels as well as attitudestowards activity.

Lawra Joseph, UK marketing man-ager for Life Fitness, who sponsoredthe research, said: “We are all aboutencouraging participation in exercise,whatever the level or activity chosen,and this research helps us to under-stand our role in the fitness of thestudent population.”

The research comes as the twonational higher education sportsorganisations merged to form BritishUniversity and College Sport (BUCS).

Neil Mosley

A teenager who used to be over threeand a half stones overweight hasbecome an award winning swimmerafter after taking part in a pioneeringprogramme.Joe Harris, 13, from Nunthorpe,Middlesbrough went on the ten-weekMind, Exercise, Nutrition and Diet(MEND) programme for overweightyoungsters.Joe joined the first programme inSeptember 2007, and took a follow-upprogramme doing 13 weeks’ intensive

physical activity before joining theswimming club at Eston SportsAcademy. He has now been votedswimmer of the month and AnnForrest, chief swimming coach said:“Since Joe graduated from MEND, hehas joined my top swimmers twice aweek. I knew straight away he hadswimming potential. Within weeks hewas becoming a competitive swimmerand he is now in the top squad, whichis a remarkable achievement.”

design and build16

By Lyndsey Smith

GREAT Britain Olympic hockey gold medal-list Steve Batchelor officially opened a sec-ondary school’s new artificial pitch.

Pupils and staff at Barrow Hills school,Surrey, welcomed the 1988 medallist as hecut the ribbon, talked about his Olympicexperiences and displayed his gold andbronze medals.

Steve said: “This is a wonderful new allweather surface for Barrow Hills which will,hopefully, one day, produce a futureOlympian for the school.”

The pitch was built over the summer and itwill be used for hockey, football, netball andtennis, providing an all weather facility andan enhanced playing surface for sport.

Director of sport, Maggie Gartland, said:“We are delighted to have this new facilitywhich will improve the quality of training forhockey in the school.

“Barrow Hills has a long history of successin hockey and was one of the first prepschools in England to play a competitivehockey match.”

Sports captains Tatiana and Jack joinedSteve to ceremonially hit the first balls on thenew pitch and then children from years 7and 8 had an hour’s hockey coaching sessionled by Steve.

Maggie added: “All the pupils who workedwith Steve gained a great deal from his expe-rience and enthusiasm.” Sports captains Tatiana and Jack with Olympic gold medallist Steve Batchelor

Hockey champopens newschool surface

First partof £35mprojectopenedA £35m leisure project inSouth Yorkshire hasopened the first of its newbuildings in a four facilityproject.

The Rotherham LeisurePFI project, which is duefor completion inNovember next year, willserve the local comprehen-sive school along withmembers of the communi-ty.

Phil Rogers, director ofleisure and culture servicesat the council said: “Aston-cum-Aughton leisure cen-tre is a massive boost, notonly for Aston school’s1,800 pupils but everyonein the surrounding areaand I am very proud thatwe've been able to build afacility of this standard.”

The centre has a 25 metreswimming pool, 12 metreteaching pool, four-courtsports hall and a fitnessand health suite,incorporating a 30-stationgym.

Sports hall provideshuge boost forLeicestershire schoolBy Lyndsey Smith

SPORTS facilities at a school inLeicestershire have received a hugeboost following the construction of anew sports hall.

Humphrey Perkins High Schoolenlisted the help of Collinson, whospecialise in this field, in order tobuild a hall that would be cost effec-tive without compromising on facili-ties.

This was most important followingan unsuccessful bid to the NationalSports Foundation for funding andfollowing extensive research theschool decided a steel frame tensionmembrane sports hall would meettheir needs.

A number of staff from HumphreyPerkins visited a Collinson sports hall and were very impressed with the quality of construction andstate of the art tension membranesystem.

Alistair Keates, school manager,said: “Visiting the site confirmed inour minds that working withCollinson would enable us to achieve the sports hall we wanted.”

The solution offered was a

Collinson Challenger series sportshall comprising a tension membranebuilding with a steel superstructure,to provide a playing area with thefloor marked out for badminton, bas-ketball, netball, tennis and volleyball.Cricket and divisional nets were alsoinstalled.

The white translucent roof allowsdaylight to permeate into the build-ing helping to reduce energy require-ments and cut the running costs dra-matically whilst providing a light andairy atmosphere.

Ancillary features include: PU sportsflooring, rebound walls, storage area,external cladding, sports equipmentand netting.

All services are fully integrated withlighting, ventilation, dehumidifica-tion and under floor heating to pro-vide the perfect sporting environ-ment.

The project was completed in justsix months at a fraction of the cost ofa traditional building and MarkHitch, deputy headteacher said: “Weare delighted to gain access to this outstanding facility which will transform the sporting opportunityfor our pupils and the local community.”

design and build18

£90k makeoverfor Aylesbury‘open space’By Lyndsey Smith

YOUNGSTERS in Aylesbury are set tobenefit from new sport and play facilities following a £90,000makeover.

The open space in Oakfield Road,Oakfield, now includes a multi-usegames area and teenage play and fitness equipment, after a package of improvements was puttogether by Aylesbury Vale DistrictCouncil’s green spaces team in con-sultation with local residents,schools, councillors and the youthcabinet.

The Oakfield Road project was paidfor by ‘Section 106 funding’, wheredevelopers make a financial contri-bution to infrastructure, education orplay improvements and councillorDavid Thompson, cabinet memberfor leisure, said: “Improving our parks and open spaces has alwaysbeen a major priority and I amdelighted that this extensive work hasbeen carried out to benefit all thecommunity.

“With the new multi-use games areaand play equipment, young peoplenow have a brand new facility theycan be proud of.

“Local people have played a keypart in this project and I would like tothank everyone who took part andshared their views.”

The multi-use games area will offeryoungsters a place to participate in arange of sporting activities, such asfootball and basketball, in a safe envi-ronment.

Young people can also enjoy excit-ing new equipment such as a twinfly(a rotating piece for two people), afitness trail and a large single pointswing, and in addition, a youth shel-ter with solar powered lighting willalso be installed.

AVDC is also planning to upgradethe children’s play area in nearbyDenby Walk once funding becomesavailable.

It’s hoped the new facilities will pro-vide a focus for young people in thearea to target their energy in a posi-tive way.

The University of Brighton officiallyopened their new full size third generation pitch which was installed byMcArdle AstroTurf.The official opening was a huge successwith the Brighton centre of excellencetaking centre stage and JerryFairclough, the man behind the originalidea of an all weather pitch, said “It hasbeen a long time coming and I amproud that it has finally beenachieved”.The pitch has been designed to be usedfor football and will also be used for

American Football, and it was used forthe first time in a match between theuniversity men’s team and Brighton andHove Albion’s coaches and past professionals on the launch eveningAs part of the McArdle Group, andestablished for more than 30 years,McArdle Astroturf’s past acclaimedprojects have included high profile systems installed at Manchester Unitedfootball club and the CommonwealthGames, as well as working extensivelywith schools, colleges and local authorities.

Congratulations to East Grinstead sports and social club whose G4S netball centre won theRose Award for contribution to the development of netball at grass roots level. The facili-ty, constructed by McArdle Sport-Tec was built specifically for netball and has nine courtsover three tiers. Phyllis Avery, president of England netball, officially opened the netballcentre in the summer and the scheme was funded by mid Sussex Council, Sport England,the National Sports foundation as well as G4S.

If you’ve got a story for Future Fitness please call Lyndsey Smith on 01226 734472 or email her: ls@whpl.net. You can fax: 01226 734705

or write to us: Future Fitness newsroom, 47 ChurchStreet, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS

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design and build20

By Louise Cordell

A NEW sports centre for kids has been openedin an area once dubbed the most deprived com-munity in Scotland.

The Wellhouse Community Trust are behindthe four-court HubSports centre in Glasgow’sEasterhouse and the facility is already helping toimprove young people’s health and fitness.

Trust manager Pauline Smith said: “There hasnever been anything like this in the area and it ismuch needed. Incomes in the area are low,health in general is bad across the region, thereis high unemployment, so getting the healthylifestyle message across is essential – and theyounger we can reach people then the better

chance we have of making a real difference.” The centre offers 15 different sports including

basketball, badminton, football, netball, gym-nastics, rugby and dance and boxing classes.

It also works in partnership with local primaryschools to provide PE facilities and is set toshare new outdoor spaces and equipment with anew school that is being built nearby.

Pauline said: “Our focus at the moment is tokeep costs as low as possible – currently £1 is themaximum we charge for any activity, but that isstill too much for some families.

“However, we are struggling with funding andwe are trying to find a balance between keepingcosts affordable to all and hopefully, eventually,becoming self sufficient so that we can survive

without relying on donations.”The club is also aiming to provide its own

training programme for young people who wantto become sports coaches.

It is hoped that the qualifications will helpthem gain jobs within the industry, either work-ing at HubSports or elsewhere.

Pauline added: “Attending these sessions has ahuge effect on many areas of the young people’slives, on top of improving their health and fit-ness. They have more confidence in themselves,and it also goes a long way towards solving gangand territorial problems in the area.

“Mixing kids from different estates and gettingthem to do something positive as a team reallyhelps to knit the community closer together.”

New centrefor arealabelled mostdeprived inScotland

The centre offers 15 diffferent sports.

design and build 21

Local authoritiesdetermined to joinBSF programmeBy Lyndsey Smith

AS PLANS progress on theBuilding Schools for the Future(BSF) programme, local authori-ties nationwide are continuing toexpress their interest and deter-mination to take part.

The initiative is the biggest-everschool buildings investment pro-gramme and, ultimately, aims torebuild or renew nearly every sec-ondary school in England over thecoming years.

With this degree of redevelop-ment on the horizon, the idealopportunity has arisen for schoolsand local authorities to cometogether to create facilities thatare not only state-of-the-art, butwill provide long lasting benefitsto all those who come into con-tact with them.

Aside from the immediate aca-demic gains to teachers andpupils, through improved teach-ing environments and amenities,the BSF project allows schools to

develop the all-round welfare ofthe school and those in its imme-diate vicinity.

Through the inclusion of qualityhealth and fitness facilities,schools can begin to tackle theincreasingly prominent issue ofchildhood obesity and theirunfortunate apathy towards tak-ing exercise.

Nick Sadler, director at healthand fitness solutions company,Motive8, feels very strongly aboutthe benefits of integrating exerciseinto children’s lifestyles from anearly age.

He said: “The sad reality is thatnowhere near enough childrenare receiving their minimum cur-ricular physical educationrequirement of 2 hours per week.

“Lessons are often uninspiringand children are left sat on thesidelines during PE lessons instead of getting active andinvolved.

“The inclusion of fantastichealth and fitness facilities within

schools has the potential to notonly benefit those directly associ-ated with the school such aspupils, teachers and parents, butalso those within the local com-munity who live and work nearby.

“Facilities can be sharedbetween literally hundreds ofpeople.

“Pupils and teachers can utilisethem during school hours, whilstafter-schools clubs and commu-nity organisations can benefitoutside of these hours”.

“In the gyms that we haveinstalled across the country, theresulting improvements in bothfitness and community interac-tion have been astounding and I’dlove to see a similar scenario hap-pening in schools.”

With survey and planning worknow well underway in numerouslocal authorities, schools acrossEngland could be enjoying theirnew facilities from as early as nextyear.

Leisure centrebids to deliveron all frontsA LEISURE centre in Cumbria has under-gone an extensive re-development in orderto deliver the best possible service to thecommunity.

The Parks leisure centre, Barrow, has goneto great lengths to ensure it delivers on allfronts as it competes in an increasinglycrowded and competitive market place.

They hope to offer the right mix of servic-es to deliver the facilities their local popula-tion wants to use, so not only has the siteundergone a development and refurbish-ment programme, they have also workedclosely with local schools to ensure the cen-tre would include elements that attractyoung members.

Margaret Wilson, centre manager, is cer-tain the new facilities will have a positiveimpact on the local community. She said:“This development has given us the oppor-tunity to cater for this market in a morecomprehensive way. We see fitness becom-ing a family activity where the parents andchildren exercise in their own areas thenmeet within the social area to unwind.”

The council has funded the £1.2mimprovement scheme and has signed up toa ten-year investment and services partner-ship agreement with Pulse. The design iscentred around the introduction of a sec-ond floor to house a dedicated children’sgym for children aged between eight and14. Margaret said: “We are certain thatoffering a children’s gym and dedicatedclasses are just the start of what willbecome the blueprint for gyms nationally.”

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‘Transforming a generation’A NEW initiative to help unem-ployed youths find work in the fit-ness industry has been launchedby FIA chairman Fred Turok.

The ‘Transforming A Generation’(TAG) pilot scheme, developedspecifically for 18 to 24 year oldswith no qualifications, has beencreated by a team of training pro-fessionals and potential employ-ers.

Fred said: “Society’s obsessionwith academic qualifications isalmost a form of professionalapartheid.

“There are many young peoplewho, for any number of reasons,are alienated from out educationprocess at school and are thereforecondemned to living in the shad-ows of society.

“Their only career prospects areeither securing a series of badlypaid, unrewarding jobs, or to seekan alternative ‘career’ on thewrong side of the law.”

TAG consists of an intensive sixmonth programme which com-bines business skills, academicwork, practical training and twowork placements.

Students are able to chose from

four specialist modules, boxing,community activity programmes,gym based exercises and studiobased exercises and are providedwith a personal mentor as well as atwo year personal developmentplan.

It costs nothing to join up andthey will also be supported finan-cially throughout the programmeand registered with REPs aftergraduating.

When they have completed thecourse students will be able towork in a gym or leisure centre,become a self employed fitnesstrainers, work as a communityactivity specialist or use the quali-fication as a springboard to some-thing like physiotherapy.

It is hoped that the launch of thispilot will be the beginning of along term initiative which willresult in 100 TAG centres acrossBritain and 6,000 newly qualifiedtrainers, in the next five years.

Fred added: “We wanted todevelop a whole life solution,which would draw this communityinto our society, equip them tocompete successfully for careers,not just jobs and help them under-

stand that they have a vital andimportant role to play in theworld.”

Pictures: Matthew Rosenberg

Overweightcamp drawschildren fromall over theworld ...By Lyndsey Smith

A CAMP to help overweight childrenget fitter was hosted in Cumbria thissummer with teenagers from acrossthe globe taking part.

Wellspring UK, on the banks ofLake Windermere, Newby Bridge,had a contingent from Russia, USA,Middle East and the UK take part infour, six or eight week camps, whichoffered advice on healthy diet andexercise.

The camps used to be held at theUniversity of Cumbria campus inPenrith, but had to move to copewith increased demand.

Ian Carter, camp director, said:“This was the third Wellspring UKcamp and it was the busiest. Thisyear has seen an increased contin-gent of overseas students as well asmore UK campers and you tend tofind whenever there is a new mediatake on the obesity issue we see asharp rise in enquiries.”

Youngsters who attended the camp went abseiling, rock climbing and canoeing, while pursu-ing their daily goal of 10,000 stepsper day.

Daily menus included three meals,two healthy snacks, plus unlimitedfoods like fat-free yoghurts, fruits,and salads.

Average weight-loss was 4lbs perweek and 70 per cent of campers goon to keep that weight off or to losemore once at home.

Ian added: “We teach campers howto approach diet and exercise in theireveryday lives so when they leave usthey are equipped to make healthychoices for long-term weight con-trol.”

Wellspring UK’s parent groupWellspring is the leading organisation of treatment pro-grammes for overweight and obesechildren and runs 12 camps worldwide.

afPE chief leads conference THE EIGHTH annual PE & SchoolSports conference and exhibitionwill take place this month at the Cityof Manchester stadium.

Leading the day will be afPE chiefexecutive, Margaret Talbot, along

with speakers Crichton Casbon, edu-cational consultant to the QCA andAde Adepitan MBE and NickHeyworth from Paralympics UK who have recently returned fromBeijing.

TWO schools in Norfolk have piloteda new coaching qualification as partof a programme to introduce multisport coaching.

The new level one qualificationdeveloped between Edexcel, In2SportUK Ltd and KC Education andTraining Ltd is part of a programdesigned to introduce multi sportcoaching into a range of areas such asschools, colleges, young offenders

institutions and clubs, along withprogrammes for the Prince’s Trust.

Pupils from Sprowston CommunityHigh School, Norwich, and AldermanPeel High School, Wells, who success-fully completed the course, receivedcertificates and although starting as alevel one, Edexcel accredited theirwork as level two, the equivalent of apass at GCSE, due to the high stan-dard.

Schools pilot coaching programme

news 23

By Jonathan Williams,SHOKK MD

I HAVE returned from anotherextremely busy Leisure IndustryWeek and my honest view of theshow must be a positive one, mainlydue to the huge interest now sur-rounding youth activity.

SHOKK has been involved with theshow for over six years and I havenoticed a huge growth in the youthspecific side of the industry, confirm-ing the hard work we’ve put in hasdefinitely made a positive impact.Our first year consisted of a smallstand with me frantically explainingthe benefits of youth activity; it’sgreat to see how far this has come.LIW 2008 saw no less than 10 standsfocusing on this very subject, withover 14,000 attendees embracing theidea; and what a feeling to know we

were here from the start and helpedbuild the industry.

My invitation to present at theMajor Moves conference was also agreat opportunity to witness new fit-ness developments, specifically with-in the interactive industry. It’s amaz-ing to see how many companies havenow embraced, what was once anovel idea. However this now needsto grow and develop into a balancedapproach and for the industry torealise that youth activity does notbegin and end with video games.Fitness professionals need focus onhow to get young people active! Myfocus has always been embracingyoung people’s interests and usingthese to get them active and not justassume a cleverly marketed comput-er game will get them all on theirfeet.

We need to understand the process

of working with young people with-out patronising them. We need tolook at not just the positives of inter-activity, but how to combat youthinactivity as a whole. It is so impor-tant to get children to buy into acomplete positive lifestyle, which hasto include everyone at all levels. Weneed to find ways of exciting andengaging them all. This is not a onestop solution; constant developmentis needed to retain them, so whenthey start on a positive route theystay there. A great way of achievingthis is to make it fashionable, makethem want to get involved, totallyand engage one hundred percent.Therefore we need to remember thatinteractivity doesn’t work alone, ithas to incorporate everything; nutri-tion, outdoor education, cardiovas-cular and resistance activity, linkingworkouts to specific sports. In short

the complete holistic approach.I am so proud that youth fitness is

now taken seriously, so seriously thatgovernment and industry bodieshave set up specific schemes andgrants to help further development.But most importantly, all new devel-opments will help the youth of todayimprove – socially, psychologicallyand physically in order to keep themon the active lifestyle straight andnarrow.

Huge interest in youth activity at LIW

Jonathan Williams

Southampton in £50k investment in Olympic hopefulsA £50,000 investment bySouthampton council couldenhance the city’s prospects of pro-ducing future Olympic stars.

The money will fund the first yearof a scheme, in partnership withSolent university, that will seecoaching staff and students study-ing for sports degrees, now teacheverything from athletics to rugbyat a number of schools across thecity.

University coach and education

development officer, Paul Davies,said: "This is a superb opportunityfor our students to work within thelocal community and make a realdifference. Schools we have alreadyworked with have been highlyproactive in appreciating theimportance of physical activity aspart of a young person's develop-ment.

“We are looking forward to build-ing on these relationships, andwhat better time to do so than off

the back of Team GB's success".Just four years ahead of London

2012, it is hoped the partnershipwill increase physical activity andparticipation in team activities, aswell as allowing students to pick upimportant leadership experience.

The programme of sports will bedetermined with each school,depending on their requirements,but will include athletics, football,tag rugby, cricket, tennis and bas-ketball.

Councillor Jeremy Moulton added:"The university is at the heart of thecity community and is keen toshare its expertise with us.

“With the London 2012 Olympicscoming up fast, we want to ensureour young people's sporting aspira-tions are matched by opportunitiesto take part in activities.

“We are delighted to be workingwith the students on this importantproject to increase the number ofyoung people taking up sport.”

news24

A GRAMMAR school has clocked up18 years of sports touring with its lat-est hockey and football tour toHolland.

Simon Langton Boys Grammarschool in Kent originally toured theNetherlands as part of the long-run-ning NST SportsClass, which hassince been taken over and re-brandedas the SET MasterClass.

Veteran group leader, John Mitchell,has had nothing but positive experi-ences with the tours and thoroughlyenjoys each trip to the Netherlands.

He said: “The tours are simple butvery well organised and we’ve reallygot to know people in the town. “It’sbecome a bit of a religion for us nowand at the moment I’m working withSET to finalise the last details of thisyear’s tour and as soon as we get backI’ll be getting on with booking thenext one.”

John has had experience with bothDutch destinations, Noordwijk aanZee on the North Sea Coast, about an

hour’s drive from Amsterdam, andValkenburg, deep in the south of thecountry, close to the borders withGermany and Belgium.

He said: “For years we touredNoordwijk but one year had to relo-cate to Valkenburg due to availabilityand we’ve never actually gone back,though some day I hope to asNoordwijk is a fantastic touring desti-nation.”

The MasterClass programmeinvolves coaching sessions for foot-ball, netball, basketball, hockey andrugby from SET's coaching team.

Teams are also offered fixturesagainst local opposition and an end-of-week tournament and disco andJohn added: “Keeping the pupilsoccupied is our secret. With so muchto do locally, including tobogganruns, laser-tag, pancake houses andbags and bags of sport, we don't giveour lot time to get up to any mis-chief.”

Students enjoy SET masterclass

Sports touring ‘comes of age’

Youth sport expert and former international athlete Brian Dickens says a lack of sustainable funding isputting youth fitness at risk. Louise Cordell reports.

BRIAN has been working to devel-op national and local communitysports programmes for 28 yearsand is partnership advisor fornational charity StreetGames anddirector of the North Lambeth andNorth Southwark Sport ActionZone.

One of his biggest achievementshas been the transformation of aderelict 1960s school building on asouth east London estate into acommunity sports centre that nowattracts over 1,000 young people aweek.

The area was once well known forits levels of crime and communitytensions, but the Lilian Baylissports centre is now used as a lead-ing example of community cohe-sion in practice.

However, Brian points out that forprojects like this to be successfulthey need time and sustainedinvestment, which is not alwaysforthcoming.

He added: “Funding is still anissue, especially in terms of sus-tainability, because if the moneyruns out then you have built up thekids’ expectations for somethingyou are not able to deliver.

“There are a lot of good providersout there now, and they really need

to be picked up and supportedcontinually so they can keep doinga good job.

“The people involved need toknow that they will be there in acouple of years - the kids can tell ifyou are not going to be around forany length of time and that willhave a negative impact.

“However, if they can see that theleaders are committed then theyreciprocate that and get so muchmore out of whatever they aredoing.”

Brian, who this year was awardedan MBE for his contribution toyouth sport in London, developedStreetGames in 2003 with the aimof improving sports provision indisadvantaged communities.

The scheme originally used‘doorstep’ football to attract chil-dren from housing estates and hasnow developed into a nationalorganisation with over sixty sportsprojects established around theUK.

He added: “I think there has beena fundamental change in the provi-sion of sport for young people overthe last few years.

“There is now an understandingof the neighbourhood model - giv-ing the kids opportunities in their

local community first. “Taking that first step and reach-

ing out to make contact addressesmany of the issues that are barriersto sport in the first place, includingconfidence, cohesion and commu-nity safety.

“I think the challenge now is tokeep developing these schemesand to get people working togetherin order to get them rolled and andavailable to more kids.

“It is happening gradually, but itis important to ensure that profilesstay high.”

Brian believes that the communi-ty based mechanism will always beneeded, even with the improve-ments in school facilities, as youthworkers are able to reach kids thatteachers sometimes can't.

He is now working to improverelationships between the two, inorder to give more kids moreopportunities, including the voca-tional training available and thechance for gifted pupils to taketheir sport to the next level.

He added: "It was my youth work-ers and PE teachers who reallyhelped push me towards my athlet-ics career and were always sup-portive, even during the times Iwent off the rails, so I really just

wanted to give something back. “That is the whole reason I got

into community sport and I amalways focussed on developing thebest ways to get kids involved inthese projects long term and mak-ing sure there is ongoing supportfor them.”

Funding issue ‘putting youth fitness at risk’

Brian Dickens

news 25

THE gym training at WandsworthPrison offers high quality physicaleducation for students with blind-ness and learning disabilities.

Two school staff and eight stu-dents make weekly visits to theprison to use its gym facilities.Inmates assist them in their train-ing and exercise while prison offi-cers and staff from Linden Lodgemonitor their work and recordachievements.

Each of the inmates are followingeither a Community Sports LeaderAward (CSLA) or a Central YMCAQualification (CYQ) course with aview to undertaking sport andleisure-related employment whenthey leave prison.

Each of the sessions begins with agroup warm-up accompanied by averbal explanation of the musclesinvolved.

This encourages body awarenesswhich is particularly important forpeople with visual impairment, butsince each child and young personhas close individual support, theyare each able to follow their ownfitness and training programmes –something which would not bepossible within a regular PE lesson.

Children and young people andinmates also play occasional five-a-

side football in the prison sportshall. An audible ball is used and theinmates are encouraged to wearblindfolds to make the game anequal one.

It is inevitable that some of themwill sometimes ask an inmate whyhe is in prison.

This stimulates a lot of discussionfrom which they learn valuable les-sons about personal responsibilityand society. Experience betweenLinden Lodge children and youngpeople and the Wandsworth pris-oners suggest these contacts createan opportunity for everyone to gainfrom the development of feelings ofpersonal value and self worth.

The initiative has led not only tohuge improvements in the childrenand young people’s gymnastic abil-ities, but also in their self-confi-dence. Parents, teachers, our dieti-cian and school nurse are seeingcontinual improvement in theirhealth, fitness levels and generalwellbeing. They have become moreactive and are more aware of theirmovement and mobility capabili-ties.

It also builds towards the rehabili-tation of inmates by helping themto develop new skills and worktowards a formal qualification and

new career path to use uponrelease.

Many of the prison officers attendand help out at our school sportsdays and do fund-raising on ourbehalf.

The IT department at the prisonuses their resources to producematerials in large print while some

inmates have been educated in theuse and reading of braille.

It has also attracted significantoutside interest with the Mayor ofWandsworth visiting the prison toexperience a gym session for him-self and we were also namedOverall Winner at the annualHealth for Kids Awards 2007.

Children at a school in Wimbledon are being taught fitness programmes by prisoners as part of a pioneeringscheme. Roger Legate, headteacher at Linden Lodge School, reports.

Prisoners give children fitness lessons

Pupil Joe Scott receives his award from Sally Gunnell OBE and members of staff

news26

By Louise Cordell

TALENTED kids who want to taketheir sporting career further are beingoffered a year’s free membership by aLeicestershire gym.

Antony Dandy, owner of ChapelHealth and Fitness, is asking localchildren who play their sport atcounty level or above to apply for oneof 20 free memberships.

The kids that win the places willalso receive help planning a 12month training and fitness pro-gramme, tailored specifically to theirchosen activity.

Tony said: “I think it is a shame thatunless sports people are playing atthe very highest levels then they don’tget a great deal of support, financialor otherwise.

“I believe that if people are repre-senting their country, even at some ofthe less well known sports, they theydeserve some help.

“I know a lot of children andteenagers miss out on sportingopportunities to play at a higher levelbecause of a lack of funds and I know how hard it can be for parents who want to support theirchildren.

“I wanted to do something to helpsolve this problem, especially forthose involved in the less well sup-ported activities.”

An ex-army physical trainer andboxing coach, Tony took up martialarts after leaving the army 11 yearsago.

He bought the gym five years ago to

teach martial arts, but graduallyexpanded to include full gym facili-ties.

The club now provides children'sdance, boxing, Tae Kwon Do,Boxercise and Tai Bo classes.

Tony said: “I think children particu-larly like martial arts because there isa lot more to them than most peoplethink.

“We do a lot of the teaching throughspecially created games, whichmakes learning the moves fun for

them.“It is very rewarding and I

always see a massive increase in con-fidence in the kids who have taken iton.

“It is also important to rememberthat it doesn’t just appeal to the kidsthat want to fight.

“Some love sparring, but others justlike going through the patterns andlearning about the sport’s history andculture – and we try to bring all theseelements together.”

Life’s Dandy for talented kidsInactivitychallengedBy Lyndsey Smith

YOUTH inactivity is being chal-lenged in an interactive way inMildenhall thanks to a multiplayer dance system.

The Dome leisure centre haveintroduced Shokks new dancemat in a bid to keep the localyouth entertained and off thestreet.

Since the closure of the localyouth club, children in the areahave had little to do outside ofschool hours and Kate Tucker,duty manager of the Dome, andinstigator of the new scheme,noticed the growing trend ofbored youngsters and decided tolook into different activityoptions.

She said: “More and more localchildren were complaining ofhaving nothing to do and justhanging around the car park.

‘The dance mats looked a greatoption as they can be used byeveryone, no matter what theirgender, age or ability.

“I tested the concept and invit-ed the pupils from MildenhallCollege of Technology to testpossible interest and we hadmore and more children comingalong to see what all the fusswas about.”

By Lyndsey Smith

A 17-YEAR-OLD student swimmerfrom the North East is focusing onthe 2012 Olympics following a tripto Beijing.

James Welford, of Heaton ManorSchool, Newcastle, was selected asa Young Ambassador, one of onlyfour from the UK, chosen by theBritish Olympic Federation’s YouthSport Trust.

He spent ten days in China repre-senting his country following a rig-orous selection process which hesays, although hard work, wasworth it.

“It was a tough ordeal,” he said.“Each of us had to take part in aworkshop where we participated ina debate, gave presentations in agroup, and tried to sell our Olympicidea to a board. We were then inter-viewed separately. It was extremelynerve-wracking waiting to see if Ihad been selected,” he said.

“It was totally worth it though.Being in Beijing was such an inspi-ration and my own ambitions arenow there to be realised.

“At the opening ceremony I satwithin reach of my sporting hero,Michael Phelps. It was an awesomeexperience.”

James was nominated as anambassador by the Newcastle SSP,and he has been representing themsince September of last year.

He was recommended to theYouth Sport Trust (YST) by his

school sport co-ordinator, Ted Baty,and his final selection was basedon his performance as an athlete,his leadership, and his debatingand presentation skills.

He has now been recruited for anational road show to speak abouthis Olympic experiences as the YSTtours the country inspiring youngpeople to get involved in thescheme ahead of 2012.

By Lyndsey Smith

YOUNGSTERS are to tour the countryacting as role models for other youngpeople as part of a nationwide schemecelebrating Britain’s hosting of theOlympic and Paralympic Games. The Young Ambassador programme,managed by the Youth Sport Trust(YST), has received backing fromLondon 2012 organisers and GreatBritain stars from Beijing and it will seemore than 5,500 14-19 year olds work-ing as role models in schools and localcommunities in the run up to 2012.

Each will promote the Olympic andParalympic values of sport, PE and ahealthy lifestyle to other youngsters.

Paul Deighton, chief executive of theLondon Organising Commitee of theOlympic Games (LOCOG) officiallyopened the first of this year’s six region-al conferences in York and he said: “TheYoung Ambassador programme willhelp bring the benefits of the 2012Games to every part of the UK and weare delighted to recognise the schemethrough our Inspire programme.

“Mirroring our brand values, only themost accessible, participative, inspiringand stimulating projects and events willachieve the Inspire mark, part ofLondon 2012’s brand family.”

“This is the first initiative to receivethe Mark for education and it forms animportant part of the PE and sportstrand of Get Set, the official London2012 education programme.”

This academic year’s record intake of1,000 Young Ambassadors will attendthe conferences to help give them theskills to lead school assemblies, mentorother youngsters and get more young

people participating in sport.Each has been specially selected by

the 450 School Sport Partnerships inEngland, either because of their strongsporting talent or through their com-mitment to sports leadership and vol-unteering.

Jasmine Scott, who is coming to theend of her second year said: “I’ve hadan amazing experience and have a pas-sion for the programme and how ithelps young people to inspire otheryoung people.

“Over the last two years there havebeen so many highlights. I’ve spoken onlive radio, worked with many Olympicand Paralympic athletes, volunteeredtwice at the UK School Games andchaired young people steering groups,and I’m determined to continueencouraging more youngsters to beinspired through sport.”

Steve Grainger, chief executive of theYST added: “The programme embodiesthe promise made when London wonthe right to host the 2012 Games – touse the Olympic and Paralympic Gamesto inspire young people to choosesport.

“It’s an initiative which empowersyoung people to inspire their friendsand peers and will form a key part ofthe London 2012 activities in schools.

“The YST is thrilled the programmehas received official recognition fromthe organisers of the 2012 Games.”

Athletes on tour Teenage swimmer Jameslooks ahead to 2012

James Welford

Resource Directory.

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