On 19th January 2011, Jodie Horwood, a ‘Jump for Green’ Lead Tutor, went to Gateway Primary School in Westminster, to talk to children in their assembly about the after-school club that she facilitates at the Greenside Community Centre (GCC), less than a five minute walk away from the school.

 
‘Jump for Green’, run by Vital Regeneration, is a club for 5 – 12 year olds that aims to promote and encourage healthy eating and regular exercise, alongside building an awareness of the environment in a creative, fun and participatory way.  It aims to engage children on these topics in such a way that empowers children to make informed choices about their lifestyles.
 
‘Jump for Green’ has been running for the past year at various schools and outreach locations in the Borough of Westminster.  It began as a pilot at Paddington Green Primary School, who were excited to have a club that linked so well with the contents of the National Curriculum, their school ethos and their Healthy School status.  ‘Jump for Green’ was also very different to what was currently on offer to their students, in that it had a holistic approach to health and wellbeing, of us and our planet.  The club forms part of the range of after-school clubs offered by Vital Regeneration, including the more established ‘Play Space’ and ‘Eco Kids Club’.
 
At Gateway Primary School, Jodie talked to the Year 3 – 6 children about what activities ‘Jump for Green’ had been doing the previous term, from planting onions and making a rock garden, to playing dodgeball.  She then got the children to think about different types of food and their food groups through an interactive game that really got them thinking! At the end of the assembly, when asked who would be interested in joining the club, Jodie was met with a sea of hands.
 
The first week of ‘Jump for Green’s’ 10-week club coincided with Gateway Primary School’s ‘Healthy Living Week’, where children and parents learn about services in their local area that promote their health and wellbeing.  On the first session of the club, the school kindly organised a walking bus for the children over to the GCC.  ‘Jump for Green’ proved to be hugely popular, and drew 33 children to its first session, most of whom lived locally but had never taken part in activities at the GCC before.  Parents said that they were really happy to have found the club as there were not many similar after-school activities locally.
 
We’re all looking forward to running this club over the next few weeks, and hope to engage the children to be healthy, happy and environmentally conscious.