250 Primary Schoolkids Take Part in GO Run for Fun

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Led by campaign supporter and ex-QPR star Andy Sinton

More than 250 local primary school children took part in an INEOS GO Run For Fun event on Thursday July 2 at Linford Christie Stadium on Wormwood Scrubs.

The children, from Burlington Danes Academy, Lena Gardens Primary, St Peter’s CE Primary, St Paul’s CE Primary and St Mary’s RC Primary schools were cheered on by crowds of supporters, campaign mascot Dart and GO Run For Fun ambassador and ex-QPR footballer Andy Sinton.

The campaign is in London during the build up to the biggest ever GO Run For Fun event in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London on July 16, which will see thousands of children run through the park, supported by Olympians, TV celebrities and reality stars.

Former QPR, Spurs and England footballer Andy led the children in a mass warm up and be on hand to offer encouragement to all the participants.

Before the event, Andy said: “I'm delighted to support QPR and the Community Trust in the GO Run For Fun event. The Trust does excellent work in the local area and I am looking forward to taking part in the run myself along with the kids to help get more young people active."

The GO Run for Fun Foundation says the run comes to Hammersmith and Fulham at a time when childhood obesity is high on the agenda in the UK. Public Health England statistics suggest that 33.5% of children in England aged 10-11 are now overweight or obese – a figure which rises to 37.6% in the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.

Justin Stone, Multi-Sports Manager for the QPR Community Trust, said: "It’s really good that we can partner up with the GO Run for Fun Foundation and help support them at what is sure to be an excellent event at Wormwood Scrubs. One of the aims of the Community Trust is to help support the local authorities and schools to enable them to get more children active through sport."

The campaign has organised more than 160 events to date and has many more planned throughout the UK and Europe in the coming months. To date, it has encouraged more than 75,000 children to take part in its 1-2km fun runs, making it the biggest children’s running initiative in the world.

The GO Run For Fun series is the idea of Jim Ratcliffe, owner of INEOS, one of the UK’s largest manufacturing companies, who announced a £1.5m donation to establish a new charitable foundation to encourage children to run for fun.

Jim Ratcliffe said: “I’m passionate about getting as many children running as possible as early as possible. The idea is simple – to get children out of the house having fun. It is not rocket science. Running is the basis of so many great sports. If our children can catch the running bug early, they’re more likely to stick to it, and this can only lead to them having more active and healthier lifestyles in the future.”

Moving more is an important part of tackling childhood obesity which is fast-becoming one of the leading areas of public health concern in the UK.

Events like GO Run For Fun are a great way to get children to keep fit and enjoy sport with their friends, in a fun and relaxed environment.

For more information and to enter your child for INEOS GO Run For Fun events happening near you, or to register your local club or school’s interest in joining our campaign, go here.

You can also visit the GO Run For Fun Facebook page, or find them on Twitter @_GRFF.

 

July 6, 2015