Blues Foundation Join the 'Kit out the Nation' Campaign!
We are pleased to be part of the Kit out the Nation campaign to distribute sports clothing to schools across Bedfordshire.
As children go back to school - local BBC radio stations across England are asking for sports kit and equipment donations to help them to get fit and active. The aim is to give children access to kit that they may not otherwise be able to afford or get hold of.
Recent research has found that thousands of children are not getting the recommended 60 minutes of daily activity a day. In July a DCMS select committee report- with data from Sport England, said 100,000, fewer children met the recommended level of activity in 2020 than in 2019. The situation has been compounded by the pandemic, access to facilities and people not being able to afford the kit.
This Saturday 4th September BBC Radio’s “Make a Difference”, launches ‘Kit Out The Nation’ to help to improve the situation across the UK. “Kit Out the Nation” will run until October and be broadcast on all 39 local BBC radio stations and in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The BBC is working with a host of partners around the country and the aim of the campaign is to take in and distribute unwanted, good-condition sports kit and distribute it to children and teenagers who need it most.
Foundation Manager, Tom Harwood, said:
“As a charity we are passionate about removing barriers to participate in sport or physical activity, so we were delighted to join the Kit Out the Nation campaign and help find new homes for sports kit no longer in use. Exercise is so important for our physical and mental health, hopefully through this campaign we can enable more children in Bedfordshire to be active.”
Chris Burns, Head of Audio and Digital for BBC England said “Make a Difference’ has been a phenomenal success during lockdown and I am proud that all 39 local BBC radio station will be involved in helping young people get access to sports kit and equipment they need to get fit and stay healthy through ‘Kit Out he Nation’.”
The Make a Difference campaign is calling on audiences to donate spare kit and equipment, as well as calling on companies and charities willing to offer their premises for donations, collections and distribution of the clean kit.