Healthy weight the key to success for Southwark’s children
Published 3 March 2010
Southwark Community Games, Southwark Council’s groundbreaking sport and physical activity programme for eight to 16 year olds, is once again leading the way with a pioneering healthy weight and healthy eating programme delivered directly to children in schools.
The Superstar Challenge Programme is a sporting event based on the 1970s BBC television show Superstars. It is organised by the Southwark Community Games (SCG) team in partnership with Southwark PCT.
Cllr Lewis Robinson, executive member for culture, leisure and sport at Southwark Council, said: "Many parents will remember the original Superstars and understand that the basic exercise principles still apply today. High energy activities, friendly competition and skill variety lend themselves perfectly to a healthy weight programme for children".
Cllr Lisa Rajan, executive member for Southwark children's services, said: "We know that exercise has many positive effects on general health, but even more so, it improves alertness, motivation and overall self esteem - which we want for all of our children to give them a bright and healthy future."
The Southwark Superstars Challenge includes activities such as skill circuit, tug-o-war, sprinting, bouncing on space hoppers and throwing foam javelins. Cllr Rajan said: "With such a wide range in activities, there will be something for everybody to succeed at."
SCG adapted Superstars as a programme for young people aged nine to ten (Year five pupils) who are overweight or obese, but it can also be used to help maintain healthy weight and improve children's health knowledge.
The project initially linked up with four local schools, each with a class of 25 pupils, who participated in series of exercise and fitness challenges three times a week, for ten weeks, to get them faster, stronger and fitter as well as improving their diet.
The results of the first programme which ran from September to December 2009 saw significant results, with one class losing the collective weight equivalent to that of an average child in the class; and the whole class lost an average of three centimetres each off their waists.
