BROMSGROVE, Rubery and Droitwich girls have been encouraged to get active over the past two weeks as part of the ‘Worcs Girls Can’ campaign.
Led by Sports Partnership Herefordshire and Worcestershire, the county-wide scheme has worked with female students from schools, including South Bromsgrove High in a bid to help them overcome the fear of judgement that stops many women and girls from participating in physical activity.
Students participated in innovative activities from cardio tennis, piloxing (a fitness class combining the fundamental elements of pilates, boxing and dance) and zumba, to cric fit, clubbercise and yoga.
British Cycling’s Annasley Park and Paralympic silver medallist Rebecca Redfern were among those supporting the ‘Worcs Girls Can’ campaign.
Annasley said: “I feel girls need a lot of positive encouragement to get in to sport.
“There are many negative attitudes, especially in Physical Education at school and I know first-hand that sport has a lot of mental health benefits as well as physical.
“You have nothing to lose but you have so much to gain.
“Sport opens so many new doors for you and if you have nothing to lose, then why not just give it a go?”
According to a recent Department of Education study, one in three teenage girls suffer from anxiety or depression and the ‘Worcs Girls Can’ campaign was aimed towards changing female’s perception of sport and physical activity.
Stephen Brewster, Chief Executive Officer, Sports Partnership Herefordshire and Worcestershire said: “We were delighted to launch and lead on a county-wide bid to get females across Worcestershire active.
Thus far, we have been successful in engaging over 1,300 females through the campaign within our lead schools.
“We hope that we have inspired further young women to overcome the obstacles that stand in their way to get physically active.”
Visit www.sportspartnershiphw.co.uk/worcs-girls-can for more information on the scheme.