3 generations of Britain's sporting best inspire kids to become active
UK Press Releases
May 10, 2005
Three generations of Britain's sporting best have joined forces in a common cause to motivate kids in Britain to take more exercise and to be 'active for 60 minutes a day'.
McDonald's UK today unveils the Team, made up of past and present sporting heroes as well as future Olympic hopefuls, who will all show that basic activities adding up to 60 minutes of exercise a day can be simple and fun¹.
Six weeks ago McDonald's announced a commitment to talk to children the world over about energy balance - using the strap-line 'it's what i eat and what i do' as the rallying call. To bring the initiative to life McDonald's UK has enlisted the help of heroes including Double Olympic Gold medal-winning Rower James Cracknell OBE, Olympic Silver medallist Sharron Davies MBE and World Cup legend Sir Geoff Hurst MBE, who will use their position as role models to inspire kids to think about what they eat and what they do.
During 2005 and beyond the Team will tour the UK by visiting schools and events, helping to drive the 'active for 60 minutes a day' message. To kick-start the cause the Team will today visit a school in the heart of London's East End to launch McDonald's campaign to give away 1.2m Step Counters to kids².
Located a short distance from the heart of the 2012 bid; Old Ford Primary School in Bow, East London is described by Head Teacher Amanda Phillips as "a classic inner city school struggling to ensure that pupils get enough exercise."
James Cracknell said: "I and the rest of the Team are really excited by this initiative and the role we can play in getting kids to understand the connection between what they eat, and the activity they do. Mums and dads know all too well it can be challenging to prise kids away from distractions like the TV so if we can make exercise easy and fun, we are half way to achieving that. Step Counters provide just one way to introduce some fun competition, which will encourage them to get walking, running or skipping."
McDonald's Team includes:
| · Sir Geoff Hurst (hat trick scoring 66' World Cup hero) | · Wade Bennett-Jackson (18 year old 100m and 200m sprinter) |
| · Kenny Dalglish (football legend) | · Kate Haywood (18 year old swimmer) |
| · Eric Harrison (the football coach who is credited by David Beckham as the biggest influence on his career) | · Aisling Williams (15 year old gymnast) |
| · James Cracknell (Double Olympic Gold medal-winning rower) | · Nathan Stephens (17 year old athlete and sledge hockey player) |
| · Sharron Davies (Head of McDonald's Mums' Panel and Olympic Silver medallist) | · Ben Kilner (16 year old half-pipe snowboarder) |
| · Anita Bean (award-winning nutritionist, and member of McDonald's Mums' Panel) | · Zoe Gillings (18 year old snowboardcross rider) |
This move follows on from the McDonald's 'Taking Steps - Empowering Parents in 2005' report, launched in March which detailed a combination of activities, including new Happy Meal menu options, a focus on practical, easy to use nutritional information, and a programme of activity promoting balanced lifestyles, of which this is a part.
Backing the campaign, British Olympic Association Chief Executive Simon Clegg said: "Britain needs to be a more active nation. The more that basic exercise is a key part of children's lives everyday; the more chance we have of a healthier population and the greater chance there is that we will have more potential Olympians emerging from a culture of community sport and physical activity."
Peter Beresford, McDonald's UK Chairman and Chief Executive added: "McDonald's is committed to reinforcing the importance of energy balance - that is the food you eat balanced with the activity you do. We know that children listen and look up to sports stars, who act as strong role models and who clearly strike the right energy balance. As a company, we've been committed to promoting active lifestyles for a decade, in particular through our partnership with the four national football associations, creating 10,000 community football coaches by 2006. So far the scheme has benefited over three million children."
As well as touring the UK, members of the Team will also be appearing in a series of advertisements around the 'it's what i eat and what i do' message. The first advert aired on screens yesterday, and features Snowboardcross rider Zoe Gillings.
McDonald's is also supporting the International Olympic Committee's Olympic Day Run, which marks the founding of the Olympic Movement. This year's inaugural one-mile family fun run takes place at Chessington World of Adventures, Surrey on 25th June.
Notes to editors:
For more information on the Team please visit www.mcdonalds.co.uk or call McDonald's Press Office UK on 020 8700 7320
For more information about the BOA, contact Philip Pope on 020 8871 2677 x233
· The focus for the Team is communicating with 7-12 year olds.
· Official Supporting information
Professor Paul Gately, McDonald's Global Advisory Council Member and Carnegie Professor of Exercise and Obesity, Leeds Metropolitan University, says of the Team: "The concept of energy balance is important, but let's face it, health professionals have not done a great job at communicating this difficult concept in a way people can adopt within their lives. I'm therefore very pleased to see McDonald's taking the right steps by focusing on this critically important message - but using its skills in a positive way to make such messages fun, accessible, and relevant to the lives of people", said
Dr Richard Budgett OBE, Director of Medical Services, British Olympic Association, endorses the initiative: 'Step Counters are an ideal way to encourage and motivate children and adults to increase their levels of exercise and improve their fitness. The British Olympic Association are firmly behind this initiative'.
· It's what i eat and what i do
It's what i eat and what i do is a new global approach that brings the energy balance message to life through the expression, "it's what i eat and what i do···i'm lovin' it." This approach builds on "i'm lovin' it," McDonald's first-ever global marketing campaign which debuted in September 2003. The new balanced active lifestyles platform is designed to inspire McDonald's customers to improve their overall well-being. The creative approach will be reflected in television commercials, print and outdoor advertising, packaging tips, trayliners, education brochures and a variety of other communications as it is rolled out around the world.
· Community Football programme
McDonald's partnership with the British Olympic Association builds on its current involvement with the four football associations. McDonald's is working with The FA, Scottish FA, Football Association for Wales and Irish FA to deliver extra free quality coaching for under-11s by funding the training and deployment of 10,000 new youth coaches by 2006.
So far more than 6,000 new coaches have qualified, 3 million children have received extra free coaching and primary schools and youth clubs have received £1.2 million worth of free coaching equipment from McDonald's through the four schemes.
· Yum Chums
Last year McDonald's first launched a series a series of two minute educational commercials, designed to help inform children about the need to eat a balanced diet and pursue an active lifestyle, in a relevant, entertaining and informative way. The films - developed in association with a nutritionist and specialists in children's commercials - featured a set of characters called the 'YumChums' to communicate the simple message that "it's fun when you eat right and be active". The YumChums are currently appearing on Nickelodeon.
¹ Based on the Chief Medical Officer's recommendation that children should receive a total of 60 minutes physical activity each day. As appears in the Department of Health's 'Choosing Activity: a physical activity action plan', p.7
² McDonald's Big Smile Days take place between 13th-15th May. During the Big Smile Days kids will get a FREE Ronald Big Red Shoe Step Counter as well as their toy in every Happy Meal.
