A TEAM of Rossendale Guides have joined the fight against childhood obesity by taking part in a healthy eating and fitness campaign.

The Guides at 3rd Rossendale St Thomas's have pledged their support for the British Heart Foundation's Well Fit! campaign.

The campaign is directed at 11 and 12-year-olds joining secondary school and aims to tackle the growing problem of physical inactivity, one of the major factors in the increasing prevalence of obesity in young people.

Jayne Brierley, Guide leader, said: "When I was young we used to skip all of the time in the playground and after school.

"With all of the new technology that is around now to keep kids occupied and entertained, I've found that many of my Guides haven't really done these basic activities before.

"So we do quite a bit of skipping and the girls really enjoy it. In the summer we play rounders and we also have an evening when all of the district Guides come together to do various activities."

She added: "We have a Fitness Badge which the girls work towards. There are lots of materials to follow and there's a really good 'healthy eating' challenge too.

"I think campaigns like Well Fit! are great because young people need to understand the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle from an early age."