Around 400 children took part in the ‘INEOS GO Run For Fun™’ event today, hosted by Great Aycliffe Town Council’ at the Oak Leaf Sports Complex, Newton Aycliffe, cheered on by London 2012 Team GB athlete Chris Tomlinson.
Backed by former world champion and world record holder Colin Jackson, the UK’s newest mass participation running campaign for children aims to encourage kids to get off the couch, give the TV a rest, get active and have fun, regardless of ability.
The GO Run For Fun series is the idea of Jim Ratcliffe, owner of INEOS, one of the UK’s largest manufacturing companies, who recently announced a £1.5m donation spread over three years to establish a new charitable foundation to encourage children to run for fun.
Go Run For Fun will work with parents, children and communities to encourage children to have fun running. The charity is already supported by three leading British Olympians, Lord Coe, Brendan Foster and Colin Jackson, with more celebrity and sporting ambassadors expected to be announced shortly.
Put on your trainers and your GO Run For Fun T-shirt, then run 1 mile however you like and have fun with your friends as you go.
Jim said: “I’m passionate about getting as many children running as possible as early as possible. The idea is simple – to get children out of the house having fun. It is not rocket science.
“Running is the basis of so many great sports. If our children can catch the running bug early, they’re more likely to stick to it, and this can only lead to them having more active and healthier lifestyles in the future.”
Research shows that over 50% of primary school children are not getting enough exercise and 30% of 2 – 15 year olds are overweight or obese according to Public Health England.
The INEOS GO Run For Fun will deliver a series of large and small running events to encourage grass roots participation and inspire children to be more active.
The Mayor of Great Aycliffe, Councillor Barbara Clare, said: “We are delighted to support the GO Run For Fun campaign. It is great to have local athletics clubs and national campaigns working together to encourage our younger generations to start running and keep running.”
It has already established itself as a leading advocate of children’s running with more than 10,000 children taking part in its runs since August last year. It expects to organise 250 events over the next three years involving more than 100,000 across the UK.
Chris Tomlinson said: “It’s brilliant to have almost 400 children here today, all participating in GO Run For Fun. These fun events are a great way for your kids to get out of the house and have fun with their mates – running.
“We really must make sure that kids are given the opportunity to get active from an early age, and GO Run For Fun provides the chance to do just that. If they enjoy it you never know where it might end up, we might find Britain’s best talent for the future.”
In its first year, the aim is that more than 30,000 children aged 5-10 will have taken part in one of the GO Run For Fun events across all corners of the UK.
For more information and to enter your child for INEOS GO Run For Fun events happening near you, or to register your local club or school’s interest in joining our campaign, please visit: www.gorunforfun.com.
