At the very time that the Coalition is pouring billions into promoting sport as seen through the Olympics, the more important grassroots support of sport in schools is being eroded.
Our children need every opportunity to develop themselves as healthy human beings not only by the development of their minds but equally by that of their bodies. I come from a generation where physical activity was encouraged and promoted. I owe my health now, at 77, to the opportunities and activities I enjoyed in early childhood where access to fields and countyside was promoted.
We need to fight with everything we've got to counter the trend to sitting in front of the computer and living as though this and watching television was all there was left in life.
It isn't.
* * * * *
A staggering 91,574 of us have now signed the petition to protect school children’s playing fields - after it was revealed that the Government has relaxed the rules, making it easier to sell them off or build on them. Now, this coming Wednesday, 38 Degrees members are getting together in Surrey Heath to deliver it straight to the office of Education Minister Michael Gove.
The bigger the petition, the better our chances of safeguarding decent playing fields for school children, now and in the future. Every signature counts.
You’ve already added your name – thank you, your signature will be one of those carried in to Gove’s office this Wednesday. Please can you now forward this email to you family, friends and colleagues and ask them to sign too?
They can sign the petition by clicking here:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/playing-fields
38 Degrees members in Surrey Heath are well placed to deliver our petition – Michael Gove is their local MP. But the message they deliver matters everywhere. Imagine Gove’s reaction when he sees signatures piled high on his desk, with a message from the entire country: our children’s open spaces and playing fields aren’t for sale.
Michael Gove thought he’d be able to slip these changes through without anyone noticing. He hates negative publicity – so the more pressure we put him under, the more likely he’ll be to change his mind. Let’s make this petition huge to prove that the public has indeed noticed, and we aren't happy.
Please ask your friends to help us pass 100,000 signatures by Wednesday:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/playing-fields
School playing fields matter. They are essential to our children's education and to their health – now and in the future. Once they're sold or built on, it's hard to see how we'd ever get them back. Just like when we came together to protect England's woods, we’re trying to stop precious open spaces from being lost forever. If enough of us join in, we can win this time as well.
Please forward this email far and wide and ask your friends to add their name in time for the petition delivery this Wednesday lunchtime:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/playing-fields
Thanks for being involved,
Ian, Marie, Hannah and the 38 Degrees team
PS: If you use Facebook you can share the petition by clicking here: https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/playing-fields-facebook
If you use Twitter you can share the petition by clicking here: https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/playing-fields-twitter
MORE INFORMATION:
Telegraph: Keep the Flame Alive: A million pupils could lose sports fields http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/news/9478635/Keep-the-Flame-Alive-A-million-pupils-could-lose-sports-fields.html
Guardian: School sports fields in danger as government relaxes rules http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/aug/14/school-sports-fields-government-olympics
Telegraph: Keep The Flame Alive: Team sports blow for schools http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/keep-the-flame-alive/9475984/Keep-The-Flame-Alive-School-playing-fields-at-risk-as-ministers-relax-building-rules.html
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