LOCAL teenagers are being given a boost to their health and wellbeing this summer.
A new initiative is providing fitness opportunities for children aged 14 to 16 who receive free school meals during the holidays.
Oldham Council has joined forces with Oldham Active to fund the ‘Get Fit, Free for 2 months’ programme.
It gives the secondary school students a complimentary two-month membership with unlimited access to both gym and swimming facilities at the charitable leisure trust’s wellbeing centres in Saddleworth and Royton, as well as in Failsworth, Chadderton and Oldham.
The programme also includes 16 free hot meals – which will be provided by Refuel at Oldham Leisure Centre, with further partner cafes to be confirmed.
“We are passionate about enabling our young people to lead full and active lives,” said Stuart Lockwood, Chief Executive of Oldham Active.
“This funded programme will help eligible teenagers in the area to keep active during the long summer holidays. Once enrolled, participants will be required to complete a gym induction to ensure safe use of all equipment.
“For the initial session, all young people must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. However, once their membership is activated, they may attend independently, with unlimited access for the full two-month period.”
Oldham Active’s fitness team have successfully completed training, learning key skills to adapt physical training for young people to take into account their specific physiological needs and effectively advise them on exercise practices.
Primary school children in the area will also benefit from summer holiday camps – including sports such as swimming, gymnastics and football.
These are available to anyone in the local community, as well as through the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme – which provides free meals and activities during school holidays for children from low-income families.
Councillor Peter Dean, Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure said: “This is a fantastic offer that I’m so pleased we can provide for our children and young people. We need to remove as many barriers as we can to enable people to live happier and healthier lives, and this programme does just that.”