This section is no longer in use, please click on the links below to view news and sport from:
Tackling obesity is all fun and games
Jul 15 2005
By Sara Khan
A healthy-eating game has been designed by a Sandwell storyteller to help tackle obesity among children.
Sue Andrews said she wanted Bellybusters to be fun yet educational. It is designed to teach youngsters what to eat and what to avoid, as well as how to keep their teeth clean and healthy.
It involves players rotating a board to collect healthy foods, steering clear of junk food items. There are also a number of different tasks and cards included, to promote exercise.
The game has been tested on pupils at Whitecrest Primary School in Great Barr.
"Every time I go to the school, the children are always asking to play the game and I get such an enthusiastic response" said Ms Andrews, who is based at Sandwell Library.
It was celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's television programme, Jamie's School Dinners, which forced the issue of making school dinners more healthy on the Government. And Ms Andrews has approached Oliver to see if he would be interested in supporting her project. She is also in talks with various supermarkets.
She said she also wanted to introduce a smaller game mat which families could take to picnics.
