Bradford families pilot ‘ExerScience’!
Bradford-based parents and children have been learning how to combine a nutritious ‘5-a-day fajita’ with fun, friends and football to help them understand the benefits of combining healthy eating and sport through a pilot programme called ‘ExerScience’, where parents learn whilst children exercise at the same time.
FOR THE NEXT 12 WEEKS families at the local Beckfoot Heaton Primary School (Bradford) will benefit from this ‘ExerScience’ pilot programme, developed and delivered by Little Sports Coaching (LSC), a specialist children’s sports coaching company, alongside nutritional expert Emma Savage (LSC Nutritional Advisor). The programme challenges the myth that families can’t eat healthily and exercise on a fixed- budget.
So far, the cohort of parents have been learning about why it’s so important not to miss breakfast, how to eat healthily on a fixed budget and how to make fun food like the ‘Five-a-day Fajita’, ‘Mash with hidden veg’ and the ‘veg filled Spaghetti Bolognese’; it’s also explained how to avoid the budget pitfalls – the average shopper spends 40% more on impulse purchases when shopping without a list.
This parental nutritional advice takes place whilst the children on the programme take part in fun and engaging multi-sports activities. Sophie Findlay, School PE Co- Ordinator, “The ExerScience programme is making a real difference to some of our most vulnerable families. For parents, it gives them an opportunity to find out about healthy eating in an informal sociable setting, while their children are taking part in a range of fun activities, encouraging healthy lifestyles for all.”
Enable2 CIC, a local social enterprise who reinvest their profits into disadvantaged communities, is funding this initiative. Enable2’s Social Return Manager, Helen Hoyle, said “The staff at Beckfoot Heaton Primary School were thrilled to be offered this 12-week nutrition and exercise programme aimed at parents and their children. The parents are learning about healthy eating on a budget which is really important in this area and their children have fun playing games and exercising after school, so it’s a win-win situation.”
Matthew Richardson, head coach on the ExerScience programme, holds a BSc in Sports Coaching from Leeds Beckett. “It’s great to see so many parents and families wanting to make change in their lives and I am really enjoying helping them to achieve their goals.” He is responsible for helping LSC on their mission with schools in the Leeds and Bradford area. LSC aims to get MORE CHILDREN to play MORE SPORT and become MORE ACTIVE through soccer schools and multi-sports holiday courses. “We are delighted to help with our broad range of school PE & Sport provision and through this exciting pilot launch of ExerScience.”
