This summer, hundreds of pupils from Colchester and north Essex will learn new ways to stay active and have fun, thanks to the launch of the Joy of Moving Festivals.
The national initiative will reach out to schools in Colchester and north Essex such as Stanway Fiveways Primary School and Cressing Primary School, who will be one of the first to benefit from the Joy of Moving Festivals.
The Joy of Moving Festivals are part of the Joy of Moving programme, a CSR project by Ferrero, delivered by the English Football League Trust (EFL Trust) through 30 Football Club Trusts across the UK and Northern Ireland.
According to research only 30% of boys and 25% of girls aged 5-7 meet the recommended quota of exercise each day. Such inactivity levels are leading to a variety of issues affecting both physical and mental health.
The Joy of Moving programme is designed to help children develop their physical, cognitive and social skills in a fun and educational way. The Festivals were developed by Foro Italico University in Rome and Professor Terry McMorris, from the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences at the University of Chichester.
A spokesperson from Ferrero said: "This summer we are excited to launch the Joy of Moving Festivals across the UK and help to educate more children about fun active play.
"To date, Ferrero has helped 15 million children to discover the Joy of Moving globally, and this year we are set to move more than 70,000 children in the UK and Ireland with our CSR project. We believe that it is important to lead a balanced and active lifestyle, particularly for children and hope that we inspire them to develop habits that will last a lifetime."
Colchester United Football in the Community will be delivering fun and engaging activities throughout the school day that are designed to help children to develop into healthy adults, not just by becoming fitter, but also to develop important life skills that will really help children flourish.
The Joy of Moving Festivals will do this through physical activity, and develop each child in four major areas: physical fitness, motor (bodily) coordination, cognitive functions and creativity (mental reasoning), and life skills.
The Joy of Moving Festival compliments Colchester United Football in the Community already successful delivery of Joy of Moving Move & Learn, a flagship project that targets children in school aged 9-10.
This academic year, in partnership with EFL Trust, Colchester United Football in the Community has engaged over 900 children who have learnt about the body, nutrition and the importance of exercise combined with children enjoying physical exercise in the form of football, dodgeball or handball.
Colchester United Football in the Community Senior Development Officer Tom Tayler said: "The Joy of Moving Festivals are a wonderful addition to our programme, and a great way to get more kids moving across the Colchester and north Essex this summer.
"With the current Move & Learn programme being received so well in schools over the last couple of years we are delighted to encorporate this within the programme.”
Both the Joy of Moving Festivals and the Move & Learn project have been designed to encourage active lifestyles and since 2014 have already moved over 200,000 children in the UK.