Dudley families encouraged to ‘get fit’ at basketball event supported by Birmingham Knights

A group of basketball-mad students from Dudley concerned about rising levels of obesity in the area are holding a basketball ‘get fit’ event.

Six out of ten people in Dudley are overweight, which means 15,000 children face a potential future of health problems*.

Led by Fixer Christina Harris, the group think that obesity is so high because there are not enough sport and physical activity clubs for children once they leave primary school.

The group have secured the backing of Paul Douglas, head coach of the Birmingham Knights, who will be opening the event at Dudley College on Friday 24 May. The event will take place between 11am-4pm.

Paul says: “I am very passionate about young people acting as peer models to their own community and am really looking forward to opening the event!”

The day will consist of lots of fun basketball skills, drills and games for people of all ages and abilities. Once they have completed the different activities, they will receive a basketball tutorial DVD, which has been created by the group with the help of Fixers, the national movement of young people ‘fixing’ the future.

Christina says: “Obesity is a growing problem and we want to try and get our local community to engage in a healthier lifestyle.

“After the age of 11, sports and a healthy lifestyle aren’t promoted and it is something we want to change.

“We all love basketball and find that it’s a great, fun way to stay fit and spend time with our friends.

“We want young people and their families to get involved so that they can see that exercise can be fun and it doesn't just mean going to the gym.

“We hope that the basketball tutorial DVD will help people learn this great game and encourage them to become more active.”

Fixers can address any issue they feel strongly about. How each Fixer tackles an issue is up to them – as long as they benefit someone else.

The award-winning Fixers project has already supported 7,400 young people aged 16 to 25 across the UK to have an authentic voice in their community.

Now, thanks to a grant from the Big Lottery Fund, Fixers aims to work with a further 20,000 young people over the next three years.

Each Fixer is supported to create the resources they need to make their chosen project a success, with creative help from media professionals to make their own promotional material, such as films, websites or print work.

Fixers is a trademark of the Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT), a charity that brings together mainstream broadcasters, public and voluntary sector services, and viewers.

“Fixers started in 2008 as just an idea… an idea given a voice by some 7,000 young people over the past five years,” says Margo Horsley, Chief Executive of PSBT.

“They have reached thousands of people with their work, on a national stage as well as in and around where they live. They choose the full array of social and health issues facing society today and set about making their mark. Fixers are always courageous and their ideas can be challenging and life-changing, not just for themselves.”

Peter Ainsworth, Big Lottery Fund UK Chair, says: “The Big Lottery Fund is extremely proud to be supporting Fixers to engage with more young people to change things for the better. Fixers has a tremendous potential – one young person’s initial idea can be transformed into reality, spread across a community and make a positive influence on a wide range of people. There are thousands of young people campaigning to make improvements in their neighbourhoods and Fixers provides a platform to highlight their voluntary work and many achievements.”

For images, interviews or more information, please contact Sue Meaden in the Fixers Communications Team by email sue@fixers.org.uk or phone 01962 810970.

*according to Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council (http://www.dudley.gov.uk/media/media-releases/march-2013/have-your-say-on-plans-to-tackle-obesity/)

There are lots more stories about young people doing great things on the Fixers website, Twitter and Facebook pages:
http://www.fixers.org.uk
http://www.twitter.com/FixersUK
http://www.facebook.com/FixersUK

Notes to editors:

• Since 2008 some 7,000 young people in England have become Fixers and created 800 projects. Now with a £7.2 million grant from the Big Lottery Fund, Fixers is extending into Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
• The Public Service Broadcasting Trust is a charity that brings together mainstream broadcasters, public and voluntary sector services, and viewers.
• The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.
• BIG is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since June 2004. The Fund was formally established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to good causes. As a result, over £29 billion has now been raised and more than 383,000 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.