Play week aimed at getting children moving
HUNDREDS OF children across north Leeds have taken part in an initiative aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles and good mental health.
The play week, hosted at Prince Henry’s Grammar School in Otley, saw nearly 1,500 children from primary schools in the market town, along with neighbouring Pool and Bramhope, try their hand at activities from zorbing to hovercrafting and an inflatable assault course.
Schools are increasingly dealing with mental health issues among primary-school pupils, said organiser and headteacher at Pool-in-Wharfedale Primary School Sally Fox, and the aim of the initiative is to promote healthy and active lifestyles to reinforce good mental health.
“Mental health and wellbeing is so high on the agenda for all schools,” she said. “We are finding we are needing to support our own pupils’ mental health more than we used to because of things happening in their own lives, such as bereavements or family breakups.
“This is something that gets them physically active, it’s something they can do with their friends. Technology is the first thing they go to now – it’s easy, and I’m guilty of it as a parent too. With something like this, we hope it can promote a more active lifestyle, more playing out, more physical activity.”
The event, part of the cluster of schools’ healthy eating and wellbeing week, was organised by the Bradford Council Play Development Service and part grant-supported.
“We really wanted to make sure that as many of the children as possible could access the same thing,” Mrs Fox added. “There will have been nearly 1,500 children that would have benefited from this, which is amazing.
“In an age where they can be glued to TVs or technology and society has a problem with obesity, remembering how to play and how much fun it can be to run around and get your heart rate up is really important.”