OBESITY

As research finds that one in five children in the UK start primary school either overweight or obese, a cycle group has donated 56 bikes to London Early Years Foundation (LEYF) to help get nursery children active.

Bikeworks , a not-for-profit social enterprise based in Bethnal Green, also pledged another 32 bikes later this year. With statistics showing one in five children in the UK start school either overweight or obese and experts warning of an “absolute crisis” in child health leading to heart disease, cancer and diabetes, the bike donation will be spread across 16 of LEYF’s 37 nurseries, spanning areas including Dagenham, Maida Vale, Pimlico,

Queen’s Park and Peckham.

To mark the initiative, both LEYF – the UK’s largest childcare charity and social enterprise – and Bikeworks are calling on Sadiq Khan to follow Boris Johnson’s legacy: but this time, give every London child access to a bike whilst at nursery. This, Bikeworks say, would be a fraction of the cost of what would be spent by the NHS treating obesity-related and lifethreatening) health conditions.

June O’Sullivan MBE, who is the CEO of LEYF, says: “We believe that to overcome childhood obesity the issue should be tackled at an early age, especially when new research suggests people’s unbalanced eating habits develop as early as nine months of age.

“With weight problems in children unacceptably high – especially among low-income populations – it’s imperative that we, as London’s largest nursery provider, take action to help address the country’s biggest public health crisis. And what better way than to learn how to ride?”

Jim Blakemore, CEO of Bikeworks adds, “Bikeworks has shown that through our successful team building service, Charity Bike Factory, and strategic partnership with LEYF, we can build a foundation to not only increase the health and wellbeing of young Londoners but also encourage cycling as a healthy activity from as young an age as possible.

“We hope we can use this partnership to allow every young person in a LEYF nursery access to a bicycle over the coming years.”

Bikeworks aims to change lives using the power of the bicycle. Their three core objectives are to build a more diverse cycling community; improve mechanical skills and support businesses to be greener through the promotion of cycling.