Overweight children are to be given help to get in shape. Get-fit courses are up for grabs for seven to 13-year-olds in Gosport – along with their parents.
A study has revealed almost a third of primary schoolchildren are obese or overweight in the town.
Twelve places are available on the government-backed scheme, which starts on October 6 at Bridgemary Community Sports College. Lasting 10 weeks, th
ere are two sessions a week to include talks on nutrition as well as exercise sessions.
There will also be a supermarket trip for children to learn about picking healthy food and tasting sessions with nutritious nibbles.
Gosport Sports Partnership is working with Fit4Work Solent. Organiser Kirsty Reed said: 'The programme is all about educating the children and teaching them about how to live healthier lives. It's about encouraging people to make healthy choices about exercise and food.
'We know that the days are gone when the mum stayed at home and prepared a meal for the family to eat sitting around the table. A lot of people eat convenience food in front of the television because it's easiest. But this programme aims to help people make good, healthy choices.'
The scheme, which is voluntary, is also due to be launched in Havant and Portsmouth over the coming months. There are currently no plans to run it in Fareham.
Youngsters will be weighed at the start and the end of the course. They will be contacted six months and 12 months after the programme has finished to see if they have continued to progress.
For more information, call Mrs Reed on 07809 688895.
The full article contains 280 words and appears in The News newspaper.
