Sheldon-based Elms Farm Primary School has created a brand-new outdoor fitness area for its students, thanks to a £5,000 grant from Health for Life.

Health for Life, an evidenced-based, award-winning programme funded by Mondelēz International, selected Elms Farm Primary School as one of three schools to receive a substantial £5,000 grant to celebrate the programme’s 10th anniversary last autumn. Since then, the school has been working hard behind-the-scenes to design and build the all-new outdoor gym, increasing scope for physical activity and encourage their students to live an active and healthier lifestyle.

Elms Farm Primary School’s ambassadors and trustees worked together to design the bespoke gym and ensure the equipment features fun and practical opportunities to promote exercise to their pupils. Complete with a cross trainer and a double cross ‘combi’ with a country skier, the gym will be enjoyed by students at break and lunchtimes, and is also available to the wider community and for holiday clubs.

Introduced by Mondelēz International in 2011, the Health for Life programme has reached more than 242,000 children and adults in Birmingham. With an investment of over £4.8m from the business to-date, the initiative is delivered in partnership with Services For Education and The Conservation Volunteers (TCV). Through local schools and communities, the programme engages people in growing fruit and vegetables, learning about healthy eating, improving cooking skills and taking part in a range of physical activities.

Emma Baxter, headteacher at Elms Farm Primary School, commented: “We’re thrilled that thanks to Health for Life, we have been able to fund and build a brand-new, interactive outdoor fitness area for our pupils to enjoy. Our students absolutely love the new space already and it’s been fantastic to see them enjoy a fun, new and engaging way to live an active and healthier lifestyle!”

Kelly Farrell, community affairs manager at Mondelēz International, said: “We’re extremely proud that our Health for Life programme continues to inspire school pupils, their teachers, parents and local communities across the region to develop and sustain a healthy lifestyle.

“We’re delighted to know that with Health for Life’s help, Elms Farm Primary School have built upon what they’ve already achieved through the programme and used the additional grant to create an outdoor gym that will have a direct positive impact on their pupils and the wider community, which is exactly what the Health for Life initiative is all about.”

For more information about the work carried out by Health for Life in schools, please visit www.servicesforeducation.co.uk/health-for-life/, and for further information on Mondelēz International, head to www.mondelezinternational.com.