A new sports initiative at East Riding College is aiming to get all students taking part in a minimum of 30 minutes physical activity every week.
The College has appointed a new “sport maker”, Matt Jeffery, to increase the range of activities on offer.
The post is funded through Sport England for five years as part of the national Active Colleges initiative.
Matt said: “People lead less active lifestyles than they used to so it’s essential that our students are encouraged to take part in exercise to help them stay healthy.
“It’s a challenge as some people simply don’t see exercise as something they do but I’m determined to get everyone involved.
“The positive effects of participating in sport and physical activity are well documented; it’s not only good for your health but also increases confidence, social skills and overall well-being.
He added: “My first step is to find out what the students would like to see on offer in addition to the traditional team sports matches on Wednesday afternoons.
“We need to be really imaginative and offer a whole menu of activity if we are to get everyone to participate.
“I’ll also be aiming to forge links with sports clubs in the local community as well as with national governing bodies to help the College to provide top quality sporting opportunities.”
Matt’s appointment is one of 150 nationally as a result of the Sport England funding. He is a former Hull KR Academy player and captained the Great Britain Academic Lions whilst at University. After graduating he took up a post managing the college and university competitions for the Rugby Football League.
Public services student Alex Shipley, 17, said: “I play badminton quite a lot and would love to be able to play here at College. I’m also hoping that we’ll be able to play cricket in the summer.”
Luke Marton, 16, also a public services student, said: “I’ve been looking into taking up some sort of fitness programme as I need to lose a bit of weight after Christmas and hopefully there will be something new set up to help me do this.”
