York City Knights champion heart health at school (From Gazette & Herald)
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York City Knights champion heart health at school
10:21am Wednesday 20th March 2013 in News
York City Knights rugby league player Kris Brining with children at Sand Hutton Primary School at the launch of a project to promote fitness and heart health
YOUNGSTERS at a Ryedale school were joined by a local rugby star to launch a new health and fitness programme.
York City Knights rugby league player Kris Brining joined children from Sand Hutton Primary School to launch a new programme to teach them about fitness and heart health.
The year-long Run for a Healthy Heart programme is being run by the York City Knights Foundation and funded by a £4,600 Healthy Heart Grant from Yorkshire-based charity Heart Research UK and sandwich company SUBWAY®.
It aims to improve the heart health of pupils aged seven-11 in 10 primary schools through a series of classroom activities and physical exercise sessions.
These interactive sessions with the York City Knights players and coaches will help the children to understand how to take care of their hearts through physical activity, eating healthily and not smoking.
The children will complete food diaries and worksheets during the project and the Healthy Heart message will be reinforced through fun games and activities like tag rugby and relay races.
More than 800 children will be involved and parents will be encouraged to take part in a Healthy Heart fun run at the end of the programme to ensure the healthy heart message is spread further into the community.
Ian Wilson, general manager of York City Knights Foundation, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership, delivering a practical and creative Healthy Heart project.
“We aim to engage pupils with lifestyle messages they will never forget and with the help of professional rugby league players from the York City Knights I’m sure it will be a great success.”
Barbara Harpham at Heart Research UK, said: “It’s great to see local role models getting involved in helping to spread the Healthy Heart message.
“Children need to be educated about the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle and projects like this are great way of making it fun and interactive.”
