Addicks midfielders Danny Green and Callum Harriott have agreed to become the new ambassadors for a Healthy Hearts project, being delivered by the Trust.
The “My GOAL is a Healthy Heart” project aims to improve the Heart Health of school children in Greenwich by helping them to attain the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour that lead to healthy lifestyle choices.
The one year programme is being run by Charlton Athletic Community Trust, thanks to a £10,000 Healthy Heart Grant from national charity, Heart Research UK and SUBWAY® franchisees and is hoped will reach nearly 3,000 local children.
The Addicks players will visit primary schools to encourage and inspire pupils to live heart healthy lifestyles. These interactive sessions will ‘kickstart’ their lifestyles through a six-week programme of football coaching sessions and heart health workshops.
Topics covered will include how the heart works, risk factors for an unhealthy heart, the benefits of exercise, healthy eating including better food choices, and understanding food labels. Pupils will complete questionnaires about their lifestyles and a workbook with homework tasks that involve parents, and take part in a ‘My Goal is a Healthy Heart’ poster competition.
The Trust has already visited 12 primary schools in the Royal Borough, engaging with over 700 young people. The programme will restart in September, when the Trust will aim to visit a further 18 schools which will see around 2,700 young people take part in total. Over 450 parents will also be invited to a have a health check with a nurse during the programme.
Danny Green said, “As a professional footballer we know all about the right foods to eat and how to keep as healthy and fit as possible in order to perform as best we can on the pitch. I’m more than happy to be backing this programme which is delivering a great message to young people.”
Callum Harriott added, “I think kids should be taught from a young age what is healthy and what isn’t and this programme will also make parents more aware so they can encourage their kids to eat more healthily and do the right amount of exercise.”
Sean Daly, Head of Sport and Football Development at the Trust, commented, “We’ve had a great response so far from young people and schools who have taken part in the programme. It’s great to be working in partnership with Heart Research UK and SUBWAY® stores to deliver this positive Healthy Heart project, which we hope will make a difference and be fun for those taking part.”
Barbara Harpham, National Director at Heart Research UK, said, “It’s great to see local role models like the footballers from Charlton Athletic getting involved in helping to spread the Healthy Heart message. Children need to understand the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle and projects like this are a great way of focusing on heart health in a fun and interactive way.”
Manaaz Akhtar, Head of Marketing for SUBWAY® stores in the UK and Ireland, added, “The SUBWAY® brand is committed to encouraging a more active lifestyle and we are delighted to be able to offer the “My GOAL is a Healthy Heart” programme to primary schools in the Greenwich Borough.”
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