CHILDREN from a primary school near Swaffham are already off to a flying start with the Play 90 initiative launched on Monday .

CHILDREN from a primary school near Swaffham are already off to a flying start with the Play 90 initiative launched on Monday .

The pupils from St Andrew's Primary School in North Pickenham have been cycling to school and playing bulldog as part of the fitness scheme set-up by the Norfolk County Council and Norwich City Football Club.

The initiative, supported by the EDP, encourages the children to exercise for 90 minutes a day, for the next 90 days, and record their progress on a special wall chart.

Pupils from North Pickenham have already chosen their favourite activities to complete over the next three months with running, swimming, and roller-skating proving the most popular choices.

As well as keeping fit, they are also looking to improve their hand and eye coordination with the speed stacking club - an activity that challenges the children to stack cups as fast as they can within a time limit.

Jeni Barnacle , head teacher of St Andrew's Primary School, said: 'Children are less active than in past generations and this gives them a way into more exercise.'

'If they are encouraged to keep active at an early age then they are more likely to carry on when they are teenagers.

'Play 90 is a nice way of sharing values such as healthy eating and daily exercise. As the saying goes, 'a healthy body leads to a healthy mind'.'

Molly Rockwell, aged nine, said she will be doing more swimming for Play 90, whilst Ellie Reeves, eight, hopes to improve her roller-skating.

Six-year-old Alex Bellaby said he will be using Play 90 to do more cycling and learn new tricks on his scooter. Nathan Nichols, nine, will spend his Play 90 hour-and-a-half running and playing with his friends.

Adam Hood wants to use Play 90 to beat his speed stacking time of 4.13 seconds.

More than 10,000 children across the county are set to take part in the scheme that aims fight child obesity by getting children to take regular exercise.

For more information about the initiative, and to claim your free wall chart, visit www.play90.com