Louise Bagshawe visits Huxlow Science College as part of Lloyds TSB National School Sport Week
2nd July 2010
With eight out of ten schoolchildren in England already inspired by London 2012 to take part in more sport, Corby and East Northamptonshire MP, and member of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, Louise Bagshawe today visited Huxlow Science College in Irthlingborough to see schoolchildren take part in Olympic and Paralympic themed activities.
Nearly 14,000 schools and five million young people have signed up to Lloyds TSB National School Sport Week, an initiative in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust and part of the London 2012 Get Set education programme, which aims to use the power of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to inspire children to take part in more sport. At the end of the week at 12.20pm on Friday 2 July, millions of pupils across the country will take part in a two minute sporting showcase, celebrating the new sport they’ve tried during the week.
Louise Bagshawe MP said:
“As Irthlingborough’s MP and member of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee in Parliament, I was delighted to visit staff and students at Huxlow Science College to see how they’re getting involved with the National School Sport Week by staging a Tour De Huxlow biking challenge.
“With just two years to go until London 2012 it is great to see that the power of the Olympics and Paralympics is having a real impact in our area. Lloyds TSB National School Sport Week is an opportunity to really connect young people like those I visited today at Huxlow Science College with everything good that the Games stand for and help to create a legacy of even greater sport participation in schools, which can then continue into adulthood.”
Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) said:
“The fact that nearly 14,000 schools are taking part in this year’s National School Sport Week confirms what we witness every time we travel around the UK – that children are excited about trying new sports. I have no doubt there will be an even greater appetite for National School Sport Week as we inch ever closer to 2012. The enthusiasm up and down the country; increasing levels of participation and overall support for the London 2012 Games is clear, and it is great to see the impact it is already having on school children.”
Recent research commissioned by Lloyds TSB has already demonstrated a huge appetite among young people with 72 percent of schoolchildren in the Capital keen to try more sport as a direct result of the UK hosting the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The research also found that despite the enthusiasm, nearly 40 percent of Olympic sports have never been tried by 90 percent of children. But with nine out of ten schoolchildren (91 percent) in London keen to try new sports, Lloyds TSB National School Sport Week meets this demand by providing schoolchildren with the opportunity to try new Olympic and Paralmpic sports that they have never experienced before.
