Former professional rugby player Phil Hellewell is passing on his sporting skills to the next generation.

In the light of reports warning us of Britain's growing obesity problems and the potential danger over-eating and lack of exercise is posing to youngsters' health, Phil is conscious of the need to encourage healthy lifestyles from a young age.

Four years ago he gave up his job as lottery manager with Bradford Bulls to consider a career where he could put his coaching skills to good use.

Enjoy and Achieve is the educational activity scheme he came up with and which he's been able to implement in primary schools in Bradford through contact with fellow player Ikram Butt.

Since retiring, Ikram has been working on a range of sporting initiatives as community sports and development officer with Bradford Council.

"I'd reached a stage in my life where I thought what do I want to do?'" recalls Phil.

He was 19 when he signed for Bradford Northern and retired from the game at 29.

"It was relatively still quite young but I had a few injuries and my knees weren't so good," he says. "The game was developing - it was on the fringe of Super League - but for me it was the right time."

Phil played and coached amateur teams before taking on the job of lottery manager for Bradford Bulls. He then took some time out to contemplate his next career move.

"I had two weeks off and thought about what I wanted to do. I ended up talking to a good friend of mine, Ikram Butt. He knew about my rugby background and asked if I was interested in coaching some primary schools.

"It snowballed from there."

For the past four years Phil has been working as a sports co-ordinator, predominantly at Byron Primary in Bradford. Conscious of the need to encourage more youngsters into physical activity, he's hoping to expand his services in a new venture with business partner Richard Harrison.

HAPI - Health and Physical Intervention - is the pair's brainchild, offering a complete package focusing not just on physical activity but tackling social issues such as obesity and bullying.

Phil said: "We are looking at lots of different sporting activities - football, cricket, football and netball, all the typical sports in primary and upper schools. We are also looking at nutritional health, sports injury prevention, drugs awareness, bullying, self-esteem and personal hygiene."

Through his work at Byron School, Phil is also part of the On Track team, a collaborative project between the Children's Fund - a government initiative - and Bradford Council, focusing on early intervention and crime prevention for eight to 13-year-olds.

Phil says his latest venture is an extension of his roles.

"You can see the difference you make with the children. There is a lot of pressure on children to behave and live healthily, and I feel being a normal kind of person and having good values I'm trying to be a positive and good role model. It makes my job easy and I have a good relationship with all the children we work with. I'm absolutely 100 per cent convinced we make we are making a difference."

Bradford College offers a range of sport-related courses. For details call (01274) 433333.