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Next On The Agenda For Change4life

Change4Life, the lifestyle revolution launched earlier this year to help combat childhood obesity, announces an exciting schedule of monthly activities to encourage families and kids to eat well, move more, live longer and above all, have fun!

Over the next few months, the following activities (and more) will be supported by online tips, advice and useful toolkits for families and local community groups. Simply search Change4Life online or call 0300 1234567 to find out how families across the country can take part.

JUNE – With good weather beckoning and the days getting longer, June’s the time to get the kids onto two wheels to enjoy the great outdoors! Bike4Life coincides with Bike Week (13-21 June), an excellent opportunity for the whole family to get out and about, explore the local community and take part in some physical activity. With new research* showing the cost of the school run setting parents back by almost £400 per school child per year, Bike4Life month is a good time to ditch the car and take on the bike!

JULY – This month sees the launch of Swim4Life, a great way for families to cool off and get active over the summer. Since April, more than 200 local councils are offering free swimming for those aged 16 and under as part of the Government’s £140 million free swimming initiative - for more details, visit www.culture.gov.uk.

Finally, the AUTUMN will see the launch of more fun and interactive activities such as Let’s Dance with Change4Life. Watch this space to find out how kids can get involved with healthy recipe ideas whilst donning their dancing shoes and taking part in some fancy foot work!

With 9 out of 10 kids growing up with dangerous amounts of fat in their bodies which could lead to life-threatening diseases like cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease, Change4Life takes action and helps encourage lifestyles changes*** for a healthier nation.

For further information on Change4Life and the above activities please contact: Claire McPhillips on 020 3003 6413 email: claire.mcphillips@freud.com OR Jo Wheeler email: jo.wheeler@freud.com

Notes to Editors

*Change4Life research conducted by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (cebr), 2008

**Survey findings from ‘How are the Kids?’ the largest ever national healthy survey with over 260,000 responses, on behalf of Change4Life. Surveys were distributed door drops to families with young children, national press and magazine inserts, via the Fruit and Veg Scheme, via the Healthy Start mailings, doctor’s surgeries and via the Change4Life website.

***Change4Life recommends eight lifestyle changes to help kids’ lead healthier lives. These include watching how many snacks are eaten, preventing kids sitting in-front of the TV, computer or video game for long periods of time, eating five portions of fruit and veg per day, taking part in at least 60 minutes of activity per day, eating the right sized portions for your child’s body size, cutting back on fat, swapping sugary foods, and regular meal times.

Change4Life is a national movement that has the support from more than 14,000 grass roots organisations, charities, supermarkets and commercial organisations to help encourage our kids to live healthier, more active lives.

For further information on how to improve families’ activity levels or nutritional intake simply search ‘Change4Life ‘online or call 0300 1234567. Visitors will be able to find further advice and carry out a postcode search to find local services such as cookery clubs, after-school activities, sporting facilities and many more useful initiatives in their local areas.