Children get early exercise

4:18am Saturday 10th May 2008

A school has received £5,000 to run sessions to give youngsters an early-morning physical workout.

Brackenhill Primary School, in Great Horton, Bradford, received the boost after working with Bradford-based Junior Jam to obtain the Awards For All grant.

The organisation, which works with young people, has created the GymJam' project as a result of statistics claiming 25 per cent of boys and 33 per cent of girls aged between two and 19 are overweight.

Gym Jam sessions run in the morning before school and consist of a 45-minute workout with non-contact martial arts, street dance, break dance and capoeira.

The funds will allow GymJam sessions to continue in the school for a whole year.

Peter Judson, learning mentor at the school, said the project is proving a success in its first days. He said: "It prepares them for the day ahead. It is a brilliant start to the morning. Each day we have had 15 children coming at 7.45am, doing fitness to 8.30am, and then they have some breakfast."

Junior Jam is in the process of assisting BD6 Together, the extended schools cluster for the BD6 area, to put together a bid that will allow GymJam to run in four schools in that area too.

For more information on the activities go to juniorjam.co.uk or contact Rachel on (01274) 411905.

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