As we enter the school holidays, I learnt a worrying fact about the West Midlands, that 37% of our children are clinically obese, the highest figure for any part of the UK. This correlates to another fact, that children in the West Midlands spend the least amount of time being physically active. This is serious as obesity has now overtaken other causes of cancer. So we must address this problem as a matter of urgency. We are due to host the Commonwealth Games in 2022, so surely with such a catalyst we must make part of their legacy a reduction in childhood obesity. As an MP, I frequently get called in the school holidays about anti-social behaviour when groups of youngsters are misbehaving: riding bikes the wrong way down roads, throwing stones at cars, drinking under age, doing drugs and generally disturbing the peace. At public meetings about this, the lack of constructive alternatives emerges. Either the kids don’t have the money to go to the sports centre to work off their energies, or there just isn’t enough of what they want to do. So, as adults, can we have a collective effort to tackle inactivity or the wrong sort of activity by working together for healthier, safer children in our community.
On that note, it is also great to hear the West Midlands Mayor announce a big investment on wildlife walks in Solihull – find out more at wildlifeways.co.uk
Dame Caroline Spelman MP
