After five months of delivery, Northampton Saints Community team have wrapped on a successful Tackling Health programme, funded by Greggs Foundation, with a showcase day at Franklin’s Gardens.
The day saw 12 schools from across the region converge on Northampton to put the skills they had learned in the programme to the test.
First taking part in a healthy sandwich-making challenge, with their efforts judged by members of the Greggs Foundation, the students were then treated to a tour of Franklin’s Gardens to learn about how Northampton Saints develops players off the pitch as well as on it through training and nutrition.
“The children really enjoyed the delivery in school and were very excited to come to the stadium as many of them haven’t visited before,” said Eleanor Thompson, a teacher at Our Lady of Walsingham Primary School.
“Walking past Dylan Hartley and touring the ground has helped them understand more about Saints. They had a great tour of the stadium and having the Club involved has both raised the profile of the project and added another dynamic to healthy eating.”
After tucking into the healthy sandwiches they created earlier in the day, participants also took part in a festival of tag rugby on the back pitches at the Gardens, showcasing the practical skills they’d picked up along the course of the programme.
“We’ve loved delivering the Greggs Tackling Health project this year, and the schools have been really receptive to the messages we have been sharing,” said Ben Lawrence, rugby development officer and Tackling Health programme manager for Northampton Saints.
“Healthy eating and active lifestyles underpin everything we do across Northampton Saints Community.”
Ben Lawrence, rugby development officer
“Having the support from the Greggs Foundation on projects like this enable us to really make a difference in important areas across our schools, and healthy eating and lifestyles underpin everything we do across Northampton Saints Community.”
Tracy Lynch, Head of Greggs Foundation, added: “The Greggs Foundation have always worked in areas of real need, and over the last few years have highlighted children’s health and decided that working with Saints and other Premiership clubs would be a great way to tackle some of those problems.
“Rugby is a great fit for this programme due to its inclusivity as well as the sport’s great values which are important to us; we’re just here to support and provide funding, the real work is done by the Community teams across all the clubs.”
For more information and to download key Tackling Health resources visit www.premiershiprugby.com/tacklinghealth and for more information on the Greggs Foundation please visit www.greggsfoundation.org.uk.
The schools Northampton Saints Community engaged in Tackling Numbers this season are...
- Castor Primary – Peterborough
- Cogenhoe Primary – Northampton
- Earl Spencer Primary School – Northampton
- Grange Primary Academy – Kettering
- Gretton Primary Academy – Corby
- Hazel Leys – Corby
- Highlees Community Primary School – Peterborough
- Langland Community School – Milton Keynes
- Lumbertubs Primary School – Northampton
- Olympic Primary School – Wellingborough
- Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Primary – Corby
- St James CofE Primary – Northampton
- St Patricks Primary School – Corby
- St. Pauls Community Primary School – Spalding
- Studfall Primary – Corby
- The Premier Academy – Milton Keynes
- Thorplands Primary School – Northampton
- Winyates Primary School – Peterborough
