NEWS RELEASE

4th November 2008

BRITAIN’S GREATEST OLYMPIAN IN ROCHDALE TO ENCOURAGE HEALTHY LIFESTYLES IN YOUNGSTERS

Sir Steve Redgrave was in Rochdaletoday to see how money raised through his charity, the Steve Redgrave Fund, is improving the lives of local school children.

Fundingthrough the charity has provided 16 Rochdale schools with Concept 2 rowing machines, helping to increase physical activity amongst young people in the borough and increase their self esteem. The machines will also enable an annual Rochdale school's indoor rowing competition to take place.

Working in partnership with Working in partnership with NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale along with Rochdale Borough, Rochdale Healthy Schools and the Schools Sports Partnerships for Cardinal Langley and Siddal Moor, the project also aims to inspire young people through sport and support teachers in the use of the rowing machines with other parts of the school curriculum such as mathematics and science.

During his visit Sir Steve challenged young people from the area to a competition on the rowing machines and said;

“Activity doesn’t just have to be about hard training – it can also be about fun, but most importantly, it’s a key factor in improving how we think about ourselves. Self belief and self esteem are absolutely essential in helping us reach our full potential and I am glad that through the Steve Redgrave Fund young people in Rochdale are being given the opportunity to get active and gain some new skills.

“For me, the results achieved through the Steve Redgrave Fund and the fact it continues to make a positive difference in people’s lives is just as wonderful and important to me as five Olympic Gold medals.”

Rebecca Caygill, Physical Activity Service Manager for NHS Heywood Middletion and Rochdale said:

“The funding from the Steve Redgrave Fund means that we are able to roll this project out across the borough from the onset, giving all secondary school pupils the opportunity to engage with a new way of being physically active and involved in the school community.

“The project will also enable teachers to engage young people in cross - curriculum based learning through sport and we also hope it will encourage some young people to take up rowing competitively, allowing pupils to represent their schools on a regional and county level and beyond.”

The indoor rowing project has already had great success in Birmingham, Cardiff, Sandwell and Glasgow, where money was awarded to address problems associated with lack of exercise, obesity, social inclusion and confidence among children and young people.

The initiative has enabled around 100 schools across the UK to purchase rowing machines, and, through Concept2 provided training and support to help teachers maximise the machines to add value to all areas of the curriculum, helping to improve confidence, self esteem and learning. Pupils have taken to the sport and some have gone on to compete in rowing competitions.

Early this year it was announced that the Steve Redgrave Fund (formerly known as The Sir Steve Redgrave Charitable Trust) will be managed by Comic Relief. Sir Steve has been a valued supporter of Sport Relief for many years and has seen first hand the kind of expertise and impact which being a member of the Comic Relief family can bring.

In addition to continuing to expand the schools project money raised by the Fund will also be shared equally with Sport Relief which supports vulnerable people living incredibly tough lives both in the UK and in the world's poorest countries.

For more information on the Steve Redgrave Fund go to

ENDS

For more information contact:

Charlotte Tyler

020 7820 6964

Notes to Editors:

  • Sir Steve Redgrave proved himself to be the greatest British Olympian - after striking gold in Sydney 2000 he became our only athlete ever to have won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games.
  • The Steve Redgrave Fund (formerly known as The Sir Steve Redgrave Charitable Trust) was established as an independent charity in 2001. In 2008, the Trust teamed up with Sport Relief, and joined the Comic Relief family to form the Steve Redgrave Fund.
  • The Steve Redgrave Fund aims to use the power of sport and sporting activity to bring about positive change in the lives of disadvantaged children, young people and their communities.
  • Money raised by the Steve Redgrave Fund will also be shared equally with Sport Relief, which harnesses the power and passion of sport to change lives for the better. Sport Relief helps vulnerable people living incredibly tough lives both in the UK and across the world’s poorest countries.
  • The Steve Redgrave Fund and Sport Relief are managed by Comic Relief, registered with the Charity Commission, No. 326568 (England/Wales); SC039730 (Scotland).
  • 50 percent of all monies raised by the Steve Redgrave Fund will be given to Sport Relief.
  • Sport Relief 2008 raised over £26 million
  • For more information about Sport Relief go to
  • For more information about Concept2 visit