Every primary school in Blackpool is to once again benefit from Blackpool FC Community Trust’s healthy lifestyle programme, Fit2Go.
The programme targets every Year 4 pupil in Blackpool and is delivered as part of Altogether Now – a Legacy for Blackpool, the multi-partnership programme between the NHS in Blackpool (Clinical Commissioning Group and Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust), Blackpool Football Club and Blackpool Council.
Funded by NHS Blackpool Clinical Commissioning Group and the Premier League/Professional Footballers Association Community Fund Fit2Go involves a range of activities delivered in school and community settings to young people and their families.
Fit2Go aims to encourage children and their families to live a healthy lifestyle by focusing on eating well and taking part in regular physical activity ultimately improving their overall health and wellbeing.
Blackpool FC Community Trust have recently completed delivery to the first six schools of the academic year; Anchorsholme; St Teresa’s; St Bernadette’s; Norbreck; Westcliff; and Kincraig.
Schools getting the benefits of the full programme receive a visit from Blackpool FC first team players. Neal Bishop and James Caton paid a visit to Anchorsholme, whilst Bobby Grant and Jack Robinson popped in to Norbreck, to see what the pupils had been learning. These visits give pupils the chance to quiz the players on how professional footballers lead a healthy lifestyle.
Blackpool Midfielder Neal Bishop said:
“Kids obviously look up to footballers as role models and listen to what we say. We have to eat the right things and train well every day so that we’re in a position to play our best football on a Saturday.
“The benefits of keeping fit and healthy are endless. Education plays a big part in getting that message across, and that’s why it’s great to see the Community Trust visiting Primary Schools in Blackpool and delivering the Fit2Go programme.”
Following the completion of the six week Fit2Go programme all schools that take part each term are invited to the Stadium on Bloomfield Road to take part in a healthy lifestyle quiz. The quiz re-visits the six topics that were covered during classroom delivery and assess the level of information the pupils have retained.
The scores from the first quiz of the year were extremely close proving the quality of the programme, the delivery, and the level of concentration and retention of the information by the pupils is very high. The winning team from each term take a signed Blackpool FC Football back for display in their school. Congratulations to all who took part and we look forward to seeing the rest of the teams in the near future.
The second set of delivery started at the beginning of November, with Claremont; Holy Family; Bispham Endowed; Layton; Unity; and Moor Park receiving the programme. Delivery is set to continue throughout the academic year until every primary school in Blackpool has received the programme of increased physical activity and health education culminating with a festival, which all the schools we have delivered in are invited to attend and play, on the pitch at Bloomfield Road.
Look out for information on the Family Fit2Go sessions taking place all over Blackpool, please feel free to attend the free sessions and learn more about keeping your family Fit2Go!
Visit www.facebook.com/fit2goblackpool to keep up to date with all aspects of Fit2Go!
