CO-OP GRANT WILL IMPROVE ACTIVITY IN INVERKEITHING CHILDREN


                The recent health concerns, relating to obesity in children causing them serious health problems in later life, is being tackled in a positive way with close cooperation between Inverkeithing Highland games, The local Co-op and the Fife Active Schools organisation.

                 A grant of £450, from the Co-operative Group to Inverkeithing Highland Games, will be used to provide Highland games workshops for primary school children in the  Inverkeithing, Dalgety Bay and Rosyth areas. The Grant was awarded by The Co-operative Group Community Fund. This is set up by the Co-op to assist local communities with worthwhile projects, especially those with the potential to have a long term beneficial effect on the local community.


                Those children who attend the workshops will be able to enter the "Children's Games", held as part of the normal Games on Saturday 7th August at The Ballast Bank Inverkeithing. They will be able to compete in a track relay race, shot put, tossing the caber and tug o' war." A total number of seven primary schools will benefit from this grant; Park Road and St John's in Rosyth, Dalgety Bay and Donibristle in Dalgety Bay, North Queensferry, Aberdour and Inverkeithing. This grant will help the children in Fife to keep healthy by giving them skills and opportunities to be active, as well as to achieve their target of 60 minutes of physical activity per day" said Nikki Krievs, the Active Schools Co-ordinator.


                This project is run jointly with Active Schools Fife, with the aim of encouraging primary school children to take part in regular physical activity. Highland games events are very popular with children. "By capturing this interest and providing a focus for their activities in front of the large crowd at The Games, we expect a good number of them to move into local athletic clubs."  said Frank Coyle of Inverkeithing Highland Games. "It is possible that some will eventually move on to become competitive, if not international athletes in the future". Even those who do not go that far will benefit from the increased regular activity promoted by this project.


                The workshops use specialised , children's indoor Highland Games equipment in the early period, moving on to proper wooden cabers as the better weather allows the workshops to move outdoors. The run, jump and throw clubs, situated at Pitreavie and the sports centre at Dalgety Bay, already use this equipment for those children who attend will also be able to enter The Games in August.


                "The Co-operative Community grant will allow ten, half day, workshops to be carried out in the primary schools and will make a substantial difference to the number of children  who are able to take an active part in the local Highland Games" said Frank. " We are very grateful to the Co-op for this grant".




                For further information on the above, contact:    Frank Coyle      tel:   01383 412563
                                                                                                     mob:   07831 167097
                                                                                                   e-mail:   frnkcoyle@yahoo.co.uk