HEALTHY lifestyle gurus could be employed to help tackle the obesity timebomb among children in Burnley.
Burnley Council's Healthy Lifestyles team is bidding for £200,000 to tackle the problem of overweight youngsters after the town was identified as having one of the worst levels of health in the north west in terms of fruit and vegetable consumption, coronary heart disease and mental health.
The money will be used to hire three part-time lifestyle tutors to extend the Buffalo (Burnley Food and Fitness Aimed at Lowering Obesity) project - which aims to increase fitness and reduce obesity among children under the age of 11 - to 11 primary schools over the next four years.
Alongside the Buffalo project the money will also allow a parenting programme - which helps parents understand the need to provide a healthy household and to be good role models - to be extended to 11 schools.
Linda Searle, of Burnley council's leisure department, said: "Increasing children's activity levels will have a significant effect not only in helping them to avoid gaining weight, but also in improving general health, increasing energy levels, and introducing new opportunities for fun and socialising.
"Parental obesity is the key risk factor for obesity in children. It is crucial that parents understand that they must continually assume responsibility for providing a healthy household and try to be good role models."
The Buffalo project, which was launched in 2005, has been successful in reducing obesity with research showing that 82.3 per cent of children have improved knowledge of healthy eating, cooking skills and increased consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables.
It has also helped two-thirds of children involved increase their physical activity levels. The project involves children in such activities as after school clubs which feature dance, multi-sports sessions, gardening, plus cook-and-eat and healthy lunch box sessions.
Funding of £135,000 over four years has been requested from Target, the well-being strand of the Lottery.
Burnley's health scrutiny committee has also approved £20,000 from the Communities for Health cash with the primary care trust agreeing to contribute £45,000.
The project is working with three schools - Padiham Primary, St Augustine's and Casterton - achieved recognition on the Sustainable Development Commission Healthy Futures website.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article