Children’s Book Review

by Felicity, aged 6, Leweston Prep

Grandpa and the Kingfisher by

Anna Wilson, illustrated by Sarah Massini

(Nosy Crow April 2023, £7.99) Sherborne Times reader offer price of £5.99 from Winstone’s Books

Ireally enjoyed reading this book and have read it a few times now! It’s about a boy, his grandpa and his dog sharing memories together as the boy learns about nature.

As they sit by the water together, Grandpa teaches the boy about the kingfisher’s family and the circle of life. He learns how nature, animals and people change with the seasons but life always carries on. The grandpa and the boy create and share memories as the book goes on.

The author uses descriptive adjectives which make it fun and exciting to read. I like the illustrations, especially the sunset page, it makes me feel calm and warm. It has made me want to spend time in nature and watch wildlife with my family.

I think this is a lovely story to enjoy before bedtime, and would recommend it to children of a similar age to me, and older children too.

GRASSROOTS SPORT FOR THE MIND, BODY AND NATION

Jess Chiplen, Head of Shows, Bath & West

Every weekend, and some evenings, people of all ages pull on their trainers to take part in a sporting activity in their local community. From football to rugby, badminton to swimming, grassroots sport is a popular pastime and one which provides opportunities for people of all backgrounds and abilities.

Grassroots sports and recreation matter for many reasons. In addition to the obvious benefits of exercise, it can help participants to develop new skills for employment, to engage with their local communities, and much more.

Beginning with the most obvious benefit, physical activity, grassroots sport plays a key role in the health of the nation. With an estimated 33% of men and 45% of women not being active enough for good health, physical inactivity is currently the fourth largest cause of disease and disability in the UK and costs an estimated £7.4 billion a year. Over a fifth of children in the UK aged 4-5 are already overweight or obese, and although PE lessons help, more is requiredlearning outdoors offers children the opportunity to be physically active across the curriculum, and can also improve academic attainment.

Being physically active also benefits mental health. Every year, one in four people will experience a mental health problem and evidence shows that exercise can be as effective as anti-depressants for those with mild clinical depression. The charity MIND lists many ways in which being active can help mental health, including aiding better sleep, boosting mood through the release of hormones, assisting with managing stress, boosting confidence, and helping people to connect with others.

Socially, grassroots sport can help improve the prospects for groups who are marginalised, such as those from overseas, as it provides a way for them to integrate into their local communities and improve their language skills.

Another marginalised group, youth offenders, are estimated to cost the economy between £8.5 and £11 billion per year. Grassroots sport and recreation can help to reduce this figure by acting as a diversion, supporting behaviour change, breaking down barriers and teaching new skills, and many sports organisations are contributing to the effort. These include ‘Gloves Up Knives Down’, which uses boxing training to lead young people into a life away from crime, saying ‘We believe that through the discipline of boxing, we can provide young people with the opportunity to channel their energy in frustrations in a more productive and positive way’. A second initiative is ‘StreetGames’, a charity which aims to bridge the sporting inequality gap for young people in low-income communities. One of their areas of work is Community Safety, which aims to connect young people to their communities and provide opportunities to prevent boredom and alienation which can lead to anti-social behaviour. According to Sport England, 40% of grassroots football clubs in England are in the top 20% of most deprived communities.

In the local area the Bath Rugby Foundation, one of the organisations supporting the Royal Bath & West Show’s Sports Village this year, has launched a campaign called ‘Lose The Labels’ which supports vulnerable people in and around Bath. It also supports HITZ, Premiership Rugby’s flagship education and employability programme, which works with over 2,000 young people across England every year.

Closer to home, Shepton Mallet Sports FC has been providing football opportunities for children since 2016. Starting with just one team they now have 17 boys and girls teams, ranging from under 6 to under bathandwest.com

16, and coach 290 children. The teams compete in the Somerset Girls Football League and Midsomer Norton Youth Football League, with the younger teams participating in monthly tournaments organised by the Somerset FA. Chairman Daniel Hynds says that whilst the club’s main aims are to provide football for the local children in a safe and fun environment and to develop their skills and understanding of the game, it also teaches them valuable life skills such as teamwork and communication, whilst keeping active outdoors. This in turn allows the children to create friendships throughout football, not just within the club but also amongst the wider football community.

At the opposite end of the age spectrum, it is estimated that approximately 40,000 people take part in Walking Football every week in the UK. There are groups for men in their 50s, over 60s and 70s, and also for women over 40, over 50 and over 60. Walking football offers a multitude of health benefits to older people such as reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and strokes while improving blood pressure, so the importance of keeping older people active at a grassroots level is clear.

Unfortunately, Covid-19 undid much of the progress which had been made, as the lockdowns of 2020 and early 2021 meant that grassroots sport was paused. Activity rates had increased nationally in the previous three years but the levels began to fall again, with the percentage of active adults reducing from 63.3% in the year to November 2019, to 61.4% to November 2021. The pandemic is now moving into the past but with an ageing population, rising crime, and the UK becoming more ethnically diverse, grassroots sport is more important than ever. Therefore the role of organisations such as the Bath Rugby Foundation and Shepton Mallet FC, and their importance to the nation, cannot be overestimated.

Thursday 1st - Saturday 3rd June

Royal Bath & West Show 2023

Bath and West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 6QN. The royal celebration of great British entertainment, food and drink and countryside returns! Group and advance ticket discounts are available. Each advance adult ticket includes free entry for two children aged between 5-15 years old. bathandwest.com/tickets

8-22

Open Monday - Saturday 10am - 5pm (and Sherborne Market Sundays)

Seasons Boutique

36 Cheap Street, Sherborne DT9 3PX

01935 814212 www.seasonsboutique.co.uk

Providing a full fitting and personal shopping service for lingerie, swimwear, nightwear and cruisewear

Bellíssima

ESTABLISHED 1999

17 Cheap Street (situated alongside Waitrose), Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3PU

Open Monday to Saturday 9.30am - 5pm

Private appointments available outside these hours

01935 813812