Olympic ace urges mums to ‘get involved’ in festival fun
MUMS are being urged to give the ‘coffee and cake’ a miss and get involved with the kids in a family sports festival being held in Manchester.
Olympic Gold Medal badminton star - and mum of two - Gail Emms is an ambassador for GoFest which is taking place at Sport City on June 24 and 25. The event aims to get youngsters involved in a range of different sports and give families the chance to get fit together.
Gail says she knows from her own experience about the challenges parents face when it comes to exercising with their kids.
She said: “I was lucky because I grew up with a family who were sports orientated, but that’s not always the case.”
Realising many kids would choose to play a computer game rather than a football game, she urges parents to get them off the couch and out on the playing field.
She said: “When I organise a family bike ride, I get so much satisfaction.
“It’s like they see me as a role model and I feel great, not to mention we have such a good laugh.”
Gail says that the ‘coffee and cake’ culture is possibly preventing mums from getting active with the children.
“When mums take their kids to sports clubs they’ll often sit together, having a chat and a coffee, rather than getting involved,” she says.
“On the other hands, dads play a completely different role and are expected to join in with the kids.
“This is something we need to change and I know many mums might think it’s too late to start now.
“But the truth is it’s never too late – you need to just let go of the fear and have a little fun, we need to inspire our kids.”
Gail will be at GoFest over the weekend to support families, play some badminton and encourage everyone to join in the fun. ●●Kitted up and ready for action, children and parents taking part in a game of Archery Tag at GoFest 2015 in Surrey Sports Park, Guildford.