Find Out More

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Local sport | Organisations | Links | Books

Find a sports club or activity near you

If you want to find out more about a sport or where you can play it locally and aren't sure where to start looking then try one of these national organisations. Their websites have searchable databases or useful links to help you find what you want.

Clubs4Children
www.clubs4children.org
After school and lunchtime clubs that meet for 10 weeks each term. Some of the activities are French, music, dance, art, drama and sport. The cost varies but starts at £30 per term. Check out the site for more information and contact details.

England
Active Places is Sport England's searchable database of sports facilities. Type in where you live and what sport you want to do and wait for your answer.

Northern Ireland
The Sports Council for Northern Ireland has information on and links to many of the central organisations for sport.

Scotland
Get Active allows you to find out more about many sports and where you can go to play them.

Wales
Sportport is the Sports Council for Wales' searchable database.

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Organisations

British Heart Foundation (BHF)
14 Fitzhardinge Street
London W1H 6DH
Heart Information Line: 08450 70 80 70 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm)
Website: www.bhf.org.uk/yheart/
Excess body weight is not good for a healthy heart so check out the BHF. The webpage listed above is aimed at helping the over 11s with information in fun interactive areas like 'destination fitness' and 'food stuff'.

Clubs for Young People
371 Kennington Lane
London SE11 5QY
Tel: 020 7793 0787
E-mail: office@clubsforyoungpeople.org.uk
Website: www.clubsforyoungpeople.org.uk
Great UK-wide network of clubs, services, projects and activities providing support for young people in their local communities.

Everyday Sport
Website: www.everydaysport.com
Hotline: 0800 587 6000
Great place to find out what sports activities are going on near you. Check the website or call the hotline.

Fitter Kids
1st & 2nd Floor Offices
67a Hammersmith Road
Richmond Passage
London W14 8UZ
Tel: 0845 456 3233
E-mail: enquiries@fitterkids.co.uk
Website: www.fitterkids.co.uk
Organisation that runs day and residential camps plus after school clubs for kids. The aim is to improve sport, exercise, fitness and activity levels and increase awareness of how to develop and maintain a healthier lifestyle. Call them to get an idea of the cost.

Fit For Sport
1st and 2nd Floor Offices
67A Hammersmith Road
Richmond Passage
London W14 8UZ
Tel: 0845 456 3233 or Jennifer Steckel Elliott on 020 3266 0160
Website: www.fitforsport.co.uk
An Ofsted registered organisation committed to promoting fitness and good health amongst children from 8 months to 14 years. They run activities at venues across London. Activities include after school clubs, holiday kids camps and health weeks and sports days.

Sports Council for Wales
Sophia Gardens
Cardiff CF11 9SW
Tel: 0845 045 0904
E-mail: publicity@scw.co.uk
Website: www.sports-council-wales.co.uk/index2.cfm
Official home of welsh sport which encourages physical activity and has lots of information on why and how to get involved in sport in Wales.

Sports Council Northern Ireland
House of Sport
Upper Malone Road
Belfast BT9 5LA
Tel: 028 90 381222
E-mail: info@sportni.net
Website: www.sportni.net
Provides funding and the site has information on sports organisations in Northern Ireland.

Sport England
3rd Floor Victoria House
Bloomsbury Square
London WC1B 4SE
Tel 08458 508 508 (Mon-Fri 8am to 6pm)
E-mail: info@sportengland.org
Website: www.sportengland.org.uk
Aims to make England more active by encouraging people to get involved with sport and physical activity. The site has a fully searchable database of over 15,000 locations in which to play sport, get fit and have fun!

Sport Scotland
Caledonia House
South Gyle
Edinburgh EH12 9DQ
Tel: 0131 317 7200
E-mail: library@sportscotland.org.uk
Website: www.sportscotland.org.uk
National Agency for sport in Scotland. The site has a 'Get Active' section where you can find a large number of different sports facilities locally plus a link to a database of sporting events across Scotland.

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Links

Active Places
www.activeplaces.com
The database of sporting venues all over England including local authority leisure facilities, as well as commercial and club sites.

Avoiding Childhood Obesity
http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/child_obesity.html
Information about obesity in children – why it's a serious problem, why diet and exercise is important, and useful tips for parents to encourage their kids to get into healthier habits.

British Dietetic Association Weight Wise Campaign
www.bdaweightwise.com/bda/
Lots of helpful information on losing weight, eating well and getting fit. Try their Getting Physical quiz to see if you need to get more active.

Call for Tougher Junk Food Ad Ban – June 2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5081964.stm
The government's food watchdog is pushing for a ban on TV commercials advertising junk food before the 9pm watershed. What do you think?

Chew on This
www.chewonthis.org.uk/index.htm
Aimed at 11-14 year olds, this is an animated, straight-talking site that will cut the cr*p and give you the low down on food – like what's really messing up your body and what you can eat instead. It will even reveal how those advertising peeps are messing with your minds!

Daily Diet Tracker
www.dailydiettracker.co.uk
Register with this site and you can keep an online record of your daily food intake. They have a database of 1000's of foods to help you watch your weight and nutritional intake and you can keep an eye on your progress with the charts in the results page.

Everyday Cycling
www.everydaycycling.co.uk
Why not get your teen a bike instead of a game console this birthday or Christmas and get them cycling to school? This is the place to go to find out about cycling. With news, events and routes.

Everyday Sport
www.everydaysport.com/Activities/Regions.aspx
Find an Everyday Sport activity near you. Click on the map or search by region, location or activity.

Get into Football
www.thefa.com/GrassrootsNew/News/GetIntoFootball/
Inspired by the World Cup to take to the pitch? Think you could do a better job than the referees in Germany? If so, check out the FA's new campaign Get into Football. The site has tons of info for kids but also for parents who want to help their kids get into this great sport.

Good Nutrition for Kids and Teens
www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/health_safety/nutrition.shtml
Straight-talking sensible advice for parents who know their kids need to eat more healthy food but don't know how to go about it without a fight.

Have you got it Sussed?
www.sussed.uk.net/
Great site with info for 11-14 year olds who want to get active and get off the couch!

How Many Calories do Teenagers Need?
www.eatwell.gov.uk/asksam/healthydiet/
healthyweightq/#A220129
Gives some general facts about what teenagers should be eating and avoiding.

Join the Activaters
www.jointheactivaters.org.uk/
Fun website with games and info for kids on how to get active and eat healthy food.

Just Eat More (Fruit & Veg)
www.5aday.nhs.uk/
Fun site from the NHS with info for families and teens on how to eat more fruit and veg. Check out the 'Vegetable Makeover' section on how to glam up those greens; there's also a downloadable wallchart for kids.

Kidnetic.com
www.kidnetic.com/Parents/
An American site but worth a look as its got some really useful stuff for parents on how to get kids to eat more healthy food and do more exercise. There's even an e-mail tool to help start a conversation with stroppy teenagers on this subject.

Mastersport
www.mastersport.co.uk/soccerskills.html
Get fit and look cool in front of your mates by practicing these great footie moves.

SK8M8
www.sk8m8.com
Lists over 600 skate parks and BMX parks with loads of local information. Check out how well your closest one rates!

Sustrans
www.sustrans.org.uk
Cycle routes throughout England Scotland and Wales are laid out in detail on this website. Excellent maps illustrate thousands of miles of cycle routes in detail along with useful information about local accommodation and things to see.

Walking the Way to Health
www.whi.org.uk
If you want to get fit but don't like the idea of traditional sports then walk your way to health! This site has everything you need to know about walking in England. Includes great walking routes, training information, special events, a discussion forum and much more.

Walking Bus
www.walkingbus.org
Information and a downloadable pack on how to set up a walking bus to and from your school. Basically parents take it in turns to walk large groups of school kids to and from the school to avoid school run traffic congestion. NB: This scheme is being run by a new car company!

Your Teenager
www.eatwell.gov.uk/agesandstages/children/yourteen/
Nice clear advice for parents from the Food Standards Agency. What your teens should be eating and avoiding, and how to cut down on salt.

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Books

	Dump the Junk: Over 300 tips to encourage children to eat healthy food by Mary Whiting (Moonscape, 2003) Packed with imaginative and practical ideas for getting kids to eat real food and avoid processed rubbish. There's also advice on how to survive shopping trips, how to deal with mealtimes and school food and recipes to tempt kids into a bit of creativity in the kitchen. Get this book
	Jamie's Dinners by Jamie Oliver (Penguin, May 2006) Jamie is back and this time he's tackling school dinners and family meals, going back to basics in the kitchen to revolutionize family dinners. Get this book
	Parents, Teens and Boundaries: How to draw the line by Jane Bluestein (Health Communications, 1994) Offers parents practical strategies for setting boundaries with their teenagers, avoiding conflict, resolving problems, and establishing mutual respect. This book comes highly recommended by therapists and other writers. Get this book
	The Ultimate Weight Solution for Teens by Jay McGraw (Simon & Schuster, 2004)) Not a book about bulimia or anorexia but one that promotes 'weight wellness' for teenagers, since being overweight is one of the leading causes of teenage depression. The author argues that weight is not about the size or your jeans or a number on the weighing scale. It's about whether you use food to take care of your body or to abuse it. Get this book
	Whatever! A Down-to-earth guide to parenting teenagers by Gill Hines (Piatkus Books, 2005) They drive most parents to despair so if you are having a nightmare with your stroppy teen this seems like a good buy. It has really positive reviews from those parents who have bought it. Get this book
	365 Activities for Fitness, Food and Fun for the Whole Family by Julia Sweet (Contemporary Books, 2001) Drag your young spuds off that couch and pick up some motivational advice on how to have fun and obtain physical wellbeing with the whole family. Get this book

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