Dame Kelly Holmes

Taken from Dame Kelly Holmes' official website doublegold.co.uk

When I discovered athletics it changed my life and gave me a dream to work towards. But it also gave me self-confidence, drive and leadership skills. I know that sport could do that for the lives of so many young girls in Britain, if they would give it the chance.

So many stars of the future are going undiscovered because they give up on sport at a young age. And millions are missing out on the benefits of exercise. When I took up the role of National School Sport Champion last year it was clear that there were problem areas that needed targeting.

One of the main problems lay with teenage girls, mainly between the ages of 13 and 15. Research showed that 36 per cent of girls in that age bracket were turned off sport altogether. In the UK, we have an ever-increasing obesity rate and problems with teenage pregnancy. If we can get girls into sport it could help give them direction in life and raise their self-confidence.

Throughout the year I have been working on the Norwich Union GirlsActive scheme which has allowed me to take sporting roadshows to some of the areas of the country that need it most. I asked the girls I met why they hated PE and was given a whole host of reasons.

They hated their PE kits, were embarrassed about showering, or felt self-conscious about taking part in sport in front of their peers. Many of them did not enjoy the sports they were offered at school or didn’t feel they were very good.

At roadshows we offered girls the chance to try such things as rock-climbing, street dance or martial arts. If a girl finds something she enjoys doing, she is bound to be more confident. When I was a child I tried loads of sports before I hit on athletics. I hated swimming and was too uncoordinated for ballet – but when I started running at 12, I knew I had found my niche. After the roadshows we also asked the girls to draw up action plans in order to get more out of school sports.

In some cases girls asked for new PE kits, others asked for their changing rooms to be spruced up. Small changes can make a big difference.