Premiership Rugby and Bath Rugby Foundation have launched Tackling Health, a new schools programme to help teachers and parents prevent the ‘obesity epidemic’ among children in England’s primary schools, where one in three children leave primary school overweight.

Tackling Health, supported by Public Health England and in partnership with the Greggs Foundation, is designed to embed physical literacy skills, increase understanding and build positive habits in learning at school.

Bath Rugby and all other Premiership clubs will be delivering the programme to children in Years 3 and 4 at primary schools across the country, with the aim to help over 30,000 children in two years.

As the club’s charitable arm, Bath Rugby Foundation will deliver Tackling Health locally on behalf of Bath Rugby.

The Foundation’s Education Officer, Jonno Wood, said: “Tackling Health is a heathy eating programme where we aim to educate young people on how to best look after their bodies and minds, producing long-lasting healthy lifestyle habits.”

Wayne Morris, Community and Corporate Responsibility Director at Premiership Rugby, said: “Tackling Health is an interactive project for children aged seven and eight, which takes a holistic approach to teaching children about their own health, wellbeing and about leading a healthy lifestyle.

“Evidence suggests as they go through primary school obesity becomes a bigger issue. By targeting children in Year 3 and 4, we’re hoping to embed good eating and activity habits before bad habits set in.

“Tackling Health is a great partnership with the Greggs Foundation, which has a great history of delivering Breakfast Clubs at primary schools all across the country. Premiership Rugby also has a great history of making learning in a school environment fun for young people and when you put those two things together you get a fantastic programme like Tackling Health.”

Tracy Lynch, Greggs Foundation Manager, added: “When organisations combine their ideas, resources and passion together, they can often have greater impact than working on their own. Tackling Health is a fantastic example of how collaborative action can achieve and sustain positive long-lasting impact.

“It has never been more important to support young people in leading healthier, more active lives. If children catch the exercise bug early enough they tend to stick with it, leading to a more generally active and healthy lifestyle and we are proud to be doing our part.”

Tackling Health is one of a number of programmes which Premiership Rugby clubs run across England to tackle the health, education or inactivity problems which the country faces. These are all part of its strategy to improve the lives of people, especially young people in England.

The plan is known as ‘A Plan to Improve A Million Lives’. Tackling Health is one of the many programmes that the Bath Rugby Foundation, the charitable arm of Bath Rugby, delivers to young people in B&NES to improve Health, Education, Employability and Inclusion and to empower them to succeed.

For more information and to download key Tackling Health resources visit www.premiershiprugby.com/tacklinghealth and for more information on the Greggs Foundation please visit www.greggsfoundation.org.uk