A local project aiming to battle childhood obesity has won Big Lottery funding following a public vote ran by ITV’s People’s Millions.
Team Nottingham’s bid for £50,000 in funding was successful after they were shortlisted in the national vote with a project which aims to deliver weight management programmes for five to 13-year-olds.
Team Nottingham is an innovative partnership consisting of six professional sports clubs and their charitable arms, who are all co-operating with Leeds Beckett University to make a difference in the community.
The six elite sporting sides, Notts County FC Football in the Community (FITC), Nottingham Forest in the Community, Trent Bridge Community Trust, Nottingham Rugby, National Ice Centre and Beeston Hockey Club, all aim to motivate young people through physical activities and various health projects.
The project will be broken into 12 week blocks of activities, including healthy eating and lifestyle workshops for parents and children.
Every child participating will be set diet and exercise goals as part of the scheme.
Nottingham is listed as the 20th most deprived local authority in England, with children more likely gain weight due to lack of access to exercise facilities.
Statistics show that one in three of children in Nottingham are overweight, so this project sets out to help them reach the recommended target of 60 minutes of daily physical activity.
According to research, if diet and exercise issues are neglected as a child, people are far more likely to develop life threatening conditions such as Cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes in their adult life.
The project will rely on Nottingham’s wealth of sporting heritage in its mission to transform lives and inspire young people through physical activity.
This comes after Nottingham was awarded as England’s first ever City of Football for 2015.
Michael Temple is the head of marketing and communications at Trent Bridge and he insists it is vital that a commitment is placed on the community and working with disadvantaged children.
He was also impressed by the public’s support in voting for their cause.
He said: “The main task is finding funding and we are grateful that we have shot above other worthy causes to receive this vital donation.”
Mr Temple also emphasised the importance of using sport and exercise to tackle the “huge” issue of childhood obesity.
He said:
As a professional sports club we need kids to aspire to something, and if they shine through at a youth level, they could find themselves playing cricket for Nottingham and England in the future.
