Bristol Rovers Community Trust, Ferrero and the EFL Trust are delighted to announce a new partnership to deliver a primary schools programme in Bristol and South Gloucestershire that will encourage children to take part in physical activity, while helping them to understand the importance of a balanced diet and an active lifestyle.
The +Sport Move and Learn Project is part of Ferrero’s global Kinder + Sport CSR initiative that has already encouraged 15 million children across the world to follow an active lifestyle. Nationally, over 38,000 primary school children across the UK took part in the Kinder +Sport Move and Learn Project during 2016/17. Additional activities such as holiday camps and match day activities linked to the project also engaged thousands more children.
Additional activities such as holiday camps and match day activities linked to the project also engaged thousands more children.
To build on this success, the programme is aiming to reach 660 schools and over 44,000 children this year.
Bristol Rovers Community Trust have been selected to join clubs like Watford, Derby County, Middlesbrough, Blackburn Rovers, Cardiff City and 22 other EFL clubs in delivering the programme across the Country.
In Bristol, the proportion of 10-11-year-old children identified as being overweight or obese has been rising in recent years and in 2015/16 35.4% of children were identified as overweight or obese. Added to this, almost all areas of Bristol identify that more than 1 in 3 children are overweight or obese by the time they leave Primary School.
Added to this, almost all areas of Bristol identify that more than 1 in 3 children are overweight or obese by the time they leave Primary School.
Over the course of six weeks, children from year 5 will spend time in the classroom with Bristol Rovers Football Club members, learning about the body, nutrition and the importance of exercise, through participating in interactive activities. This is then followed by a session dedicated to playing football, dodgeball or handball, with two weeks spent on each sport.
The first schools already signed up to the programme are: Sefton Park Primary School, Emersons Green Primary School and St Michael’s on the Mount Primary School.
Adam Tutton, Bristol Rovers Community Trust Chief Executive and Health Ambassador is a huge supporter of the Kinder + Sport Move and Learn Project, he said, “It’s vital that we educate children from a young age on a balanced diet and encourage an active lifestyle.
“The Kinder +Sport Move and Learn Project is a really fun and interactive project engaging thousands of children each year. I’m extremely proud to be able to support such an important programme”.
A spokesperson from Ferrero said: “We are delighted to welcome Bristol Rovers to the +Sport Move and Learn Project, an integral part of Ferrero’s Kinder + Sport Corporate Social Responsibility programme.
“Our partnership with the EFL Trust and all our member clubs has gone from strength to strength in recent years, and we are proud that together we have inspired thousands of children to discover new ways to enjoy a healthy and active lifestyle.”
Mike Evans, Director of Operations at the EFL Trust said: “The +Sport Move and Learn Project and our partnership with Ferrero is growing from strength to strength. The power of sport and the club badge allows our network of community trusts to deliver key messages, such as tackling obesity, to reach out to the wider community.
“We are committed to helping the next generation discover the joy of moving and we look forward to continuing to work with Ferrero and our own network to achieve this. It’s a pleasure to welcome Bristol Rovers Community Trust to the Kinder +
“We are committed to helping the next generation discover the joy of moving and we look forward to continuing to work with Ferrero and our own network to achieve this. It’s a pleasure to welcome Bristol Rovers Community Trust to the Kinder + Sport family.”