Players from the Cheshire Phoenix basketball team have been visiting primary schools; thanks to a Healthy Heart grant from Heart Research UK and sandwich franchise Subway, teaching young children how to keep their hearts healthy.
The ‘Hoops 4 Healthy Heart’ project aimed to improve the heart health of nine and ten year olds by helping them to acquire the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour that lead to healthy lifestyle choices.
The programme run by the Jets Foundation used the £4,814 grant to visit eight primary schools in Cheshire to deliver classroom-based sessions on healthy hearts and the effects of smoking followed by practical fitness and basketball sessions.
On the 13th October 2013 these sessions will accumulate in a ‘Hoops 4 Healthy Hearts’ tournament during a Cheshire Phoenix home game. Four of the eight schools will be competing to win the tournament and be awarded in front of all the supporters at half-time.
The celebratory event will begin at 16:25 with the two semi-finals. The pupils will then get to watch Cheshire Phoenix’s first half which will spur the two winning school’s into the final at half-time.
Over 680 pupils were directly involved in learning about how to keep their hearts healthy. Their experience was shared with their families and friends who will ensure the message reaches a much larger audience so that more people can learn how to help their hearts.